THE BEST BOOKS FOR READING TO LITTLE BOYS

MY OUTFIT DETAILS:  MERONA TOP via SCHOOLA  ||  J.CREW SKIRT via SCHOOLA

ON B: VINTAGE GINGHAM BUTTON DOWN via SCHOOLA  ||  SHAUN WHITE PANTS via SCHOOLA

ON FOS: OSHKOSH B'GOSH BUTTON DOWN via SCHOOLA  

Education is such an important part of my life and my parenting, and I do everything I can to teach my boys as much as I can. We're constantly playing math, memory, spelling, and quiz games, or looking up online to learn about a planet we saw the night before, or a species of animal we saw in a book. And my favorite way to teach my boys is by reading to them.

Reading aloud not only improves a child's comprehension and listening skills (both of which are hugely important), it also accellerates their reading level because you, as a parent, can read books to them that are several grades higher. It teaches them to focus, they learn bigger words, and they grow to understand more complex plots.

I love companies that have similar values and goals to mine as a parent, so I was instantly impressed by Schoola, who sells second hand women and children's clothing, and turns the money into programs for your kids schools. Hooray for brands that focus on our children's education!

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So today we've teamed up with Schoola to share ten of our favorite read aloud books for little boys!

Below are our favorite books we've read. Many of these are targeted to children older than mine, but like I said above, you can read way higher above their reading level and I've read all of these aloud to my boys, ages 3 and 6. (note: my three year old doesn't catch everything, and occasionally gets bored, but I do my best to explain concepts and characters, and he does pretty great at following the story and listening. And he gets better with every book).

1. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIHM. This was our most recent read and every night B would beg for one more chapter. It's about a sweet little mama mouse, Mrs. Frisby, whose family lives in the garden of a farmer. Spring is approaching and although they usually move to the nearby creek during the summer when the plow comes through the garden, her youngest baby is ill and can't make the move. So to help solve her problems, she's told to ask the rats for help. She soon discovers their secrets and why they're such a mysterious group of creatures. I was on the edge of my seat for a lot of this book, and even read ahead a few times because it was too stressful to not know the outcome right this second. 
2. Farmer Boy. The Laura Ingalls Wilder books are typically geared toward girls, but Farmer Boy is such a good choice for little boys. I love reading books about children with good manners and good work ethic (hoping it rubs off on my boys, haha), and this is just that kind. Almanzo is just the kind of boy you hope your little girls will marry. 
3. Boxcar Children. I started reading these to B when he was five, and we breezed through the first 19 books in the series in a few months. This is another good example of books with well behaved and well mannered children. Those Alden children are so kind and sweet, and I had just as much fun reading them aloud as B and Fos had listening. Also, the first 19 are the originals, written by Gertrude Chandler Warner until her death, but several other authors went on to write about a hundred more. B has read a ton of those on his own, but I read just the first 19 to him and Fos. 
4. A to Z Mysteries. I haven't personally read any of these, but B absolutely loves them. They're pretty short chapter book mysteries about three little friends who always find some problem and then solve it together. 
5. Geronimo Stilton. These are silly little mysteries about a timid mouse who ends up getting mixed up in all sorts of wild adventures with his family members. We just recently heard about these so B hasn't read a ton of them, but they're cute and easy reads. 
6. Roald Dahl: George's Marvelous Medicine, Fantastic Mr. Fox, James and the Giant Peach, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. You just can't help but love Roald Dahl. His outlandish stories are classics, and both of my boys love them. They typically don't have very complex plots, so it's easy for even my three year old to follow, and the silly stories (especially George's Marvelous Medicine) have us bursting with giggles. 
7. Hank the Cowdog. I read these ones growing up and remember listening to them in the car on several road trips. My parents thought this goofy dog was so hilarious. We just picked the first one up from the libary so we're starting it this week and I can't wait! 
8. Nate the Great. These are little easy-to-read mysteries that B loves to read and Fos loves to listen to. And even though they're pretty low level, they usually have some clever situation that solves the mystery so I like reading them and trying to solve the mystery before we get to the end. 
9. Charlotte's Web. Such a classic, and good for both boys and girls. B's kindergarten teacher read it aloud to them this year in class, and when they finished I asked B if his teacher had cried. He said "no, but my eyes got a little watery so I put my head down so no one could see." This kid gets it. 
10. The Indian in the Cupboard. Anything involving cowboys, indians, and little boys is an automatic winner in our house. My boys loved this book, and we're already planning on reading the sequel. 

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thank you to schoola for partnering on this post  ||  photos by rad and happy