When my daughter Summer was a student in middle school, she was reading a book in class and at home called The Giver. For reasons she was unwilling to communicate, her anxiety level was very high about reading the book. So I bought a copy of the book and every night we would take turns reading pages. Summer is now 27, and to this day I remember how happy I was the nights we sat side by side reading The Giver together. Years later I met the author Lois Lowry and I told her how Summer and I took turns reading her book aloud and what a special time it was for me.
There are many articles about the importance and benefits of reading aloud to children. This article, I found to be particularly interesting and resourceful. Enjoy!