Great Family Read Alouds

Does your family share books by reading aloud? Reading aloud with your children can be a great way to spend time together. And the books read don't always have to be picture books. Older children also enjoy being read to, and taking their turn at reading. Younger children enjoy hearing a longer story in installments. Parents, is there a book you loved as a child? Why not share it with your children?

Need an idea for a great family read-aloud? Try these:

Avi. Poppy
Poppy the deermouse urges her family to move next to a field of corn where it will be easy to feed all of them, but Mr. Ocax, a terrifying owl, has other idea.

Birdsall, Jeanne. The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy
Four rambunctious young sisters on summer vacation in the Berkshires share adventures with a local boy, much to the dismay of his snobbish mother.

DiCamillo, Kate. The Tale of Despereaux
The adventures of a small mouse named Despereaux Tilling, the princess he loves, a servant girl who longs to be a princess, and a devious rat determined to bring them all to ruin.

Estes, Eleanor. Ginger Pye
A boy and his sister are certain that the disappearance of their puppy is the work of a mysterious man in a yellow hat and set out to track down the culprit.

Howe, Deborah and James. Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale of Mystery
Family pets Harold the dog and Chester the cat set out to prove their family's new pet rabbit is responsible for the strange things that have been happening in thier house. Also see other books in the series

Lawson, Robert. Rabbit Hill
When a new family moves into the Big House, the animals of Rabbit Hill wonder if they will plant a garden and be good providers.

O'Brien, Robert C. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH
Having no one to help her with her problems, a widowed mouse visits the rats whose former imprisonment in a laboratory made them wise and long lived.

Selden, George. The Cricket in Times Square
Chester the cricket unwittingly ends up in New York City and makes friends with Tucker Mouse and Harry Cat.

White, E. B. Charlotte's Web
Wilbur the pig is desolate when he learns he is destined to be the farmer's Christmas dinner until he meets Charlotte, a new friend who promises to find a way to help him.

Wilder, Laura Ingalls. Little House in the Big Woods
Three little girls have many adventures living in a log cabin in the big woods of Wisconsin in the 1800s. Their story continues in other books in the series.

Pet Photo Contest

Do you have a favorite photo of your pet? Bring it to the Franklin Branch Library between March 15 and April 15 to enter the Pet Photo Contest. Then, beginning April 16, pick up a ballot at the circulation desk to vote for your favorite!