Between the Chapters: Meet Danielle

This week: a peek into Danielle’s house where she lives with her husband and three young readers who are in kindergarten, third grade and fifth grade. This interview is a snapshot of what books her girls choose to read and the routines that Danielle deploys to make reading happen. You will see that reading is not seen as a chore in this household but rather something the girls look forward to as a way to relax and enjoy themselves before bedtime. Read more  about these book lovers below in this week’s, “Between the Chapters.”

“Between the Chapters” is an interview series about how reading actually happens at home. It’s not about idealized book lists or what we wish we were reading. Instead, this series is about what real parents read aloud, what their kids reach for on their own, and the everyday context surrounding those choices. Each interview offers a small glimpse into a family’s reading life—plus a little about the parent. The goal is to swap book ideas, see how other families make reading work, and inspire you to try new—or more realistic—approaches in your own home.

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 This interview took place in my kitchen over Tatte lattes. It was quiet and calm—the opposite of circumstances from which Danielle and I typically see each other. Our oldest daughters are very good friends and all of our kids do similar activities. This means lots of time spent in the hot pool area at the Boston Sports Institute and many hours spent on the steps at Planet Gymnastics. We often don’t get to use full sentences between our kids interrupting or tugging on our arms, but this time was different:

What books are your girls loving right now?

 Kate (Fifth Grade) loves the Judy Blume books—Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, Here’s To You, Rachel Robinson, and Just As Long As We’re Together. She enjoyed the Keeper of the Lost Cities, which Cici had recommended to her. Currently, she is reading The War That Saved My Life, which she got from the classroom library. Also, she looks forward to reading her weekly print subscription of The Week, Jr.

Jenna (Third Grade) loved all of the Magic Puppy and the Magic Bunny books. She is also really into gymnastics and I found a series called the Perfect Balance. The series is unique in that the characters get older and the reading level becomes progressively harder. But the books are about navigating the competitive gymnastics world and the author is a former NCAA gymnast.

Erin (Kindergarten) loves all kinds of picture books, but for books she can read independently, she enjoys reading the decodable paper books sent home from school and two of the Booktrition books recommended for kindergarten – Sam and Jack, and Pup is Lost. They are the first two real books she read on her own!

What is your reading routine?

After dinner, the girls shower, brush teeth, do homework and then the older two read independently in bed. John and I take turns reading a book aloud to Erin, and now Erin is able to read either her decodable book or one of the Booktrition kindergarten books aloud to us. She is so proud of herself that she can read real books now liker older sisters! They read for abut thirty minutes, and on days when we have late activities, they try to read for about half of the time beforehand.

How does it make you feel when you see your girls read?

It makes me feel so incredibly happy. I loved reading as a child and I still love reading as an adult, so to see that my girls turn to books as a comforting way to relax at the end of the day brings me so much joy.

Where do you get book recommendations?

School, friends, bookstores, the library, and of course Booktrition! I am not shy about asking for book recommendations when we are out and looking for books.

What messages from Booktrition have resonated with you the most?

I appreciate that Booktrition helps identify “just-right” book for my kindergartener. Erin felt so proud to be able to read Sam and Jack by herself because it was the perfect reading level and she could read almost every word on her own.

I also appreciate the emphasis of children reading aloud in addition to independently even once they can read on their own. We are working on that one!

Do you think teachers should recommend books?

It would be nice to have a classroom inventory or some sort of a list for more ideas. I know that Jenna was so excited to read Because of Winn-Dixie on her own because her teacher had just read it out loud to the class.

In addition to having the opportunity to share these interviews with others, I too am finding these talks to be so helpful for book inspiration and more. Just last night, after my oldest (Cici, in fifth grade) said she needed more books, I was able to ramble off several titles that her good friend Kate had recently read. We plan to grab a few of the Judy Blume books before heading north for February break.

And during the interview, while talking about the importance of children reading aloud even after they can read independently, Danielle made an incredible point of which I had never thought; when reading aloud, young readers are not only working on fluency but also on articulating clearly, annunciating and speaking with a loud voice. For some kids, as in her Jenna and my Quinn, reading aloud can provide practice for everyday speaking skills. As a teacher in the classroom, I remember often asking kids to try to speak louder and more clearly when participating in whole-group discussions.

Lastly, I enjoyed the more personal story about the reading chair that has made moves in Danielle’s house from room to room over the years. Danielle described this chair as “oversized” and “unattractive” but also comfortable and full of sentimental memories. The chair started in Kate’s room and was where the two of them read together when Kate was a baby. The chair then moved to Jenna’s room and then to Erin’s. She laughed as she told me that the chair, because of its size, needed to go, but because of its history, it also shouldn’t go. Like so much in life, this chair situation is complicated. And when for the final verdict, she said, “Actually, we tried to remove it from the room, and it wouldn't fit through the door frame. So, it's really not meant to go right now.”