Whatcha Readin' on World Read Aloud Day?

Today we celebrate World Read Aloud Day: a day I didn't even know existed until yesterday, but one with which I feel a true connection.

Until I left home for college I had stories read aloud to me daily, and I suppose I credit my parents' dedication to reading aloud to us children for my continuing love affair with literature. Of course I can't remember each and every book ever read to me, but brainstorming for this post I came up with the following dear memories:

Being scared to death of (but also thrilled by) the snap flap sound effect from a story my mother would read aloud at bedtime (pretty sure it was it the sail of a boat in a storm). While I can't exactly remember the story itself, I do remember being read to, and the thrill of those sounds. 

My father reading aloud from the allegorical Tales of the Kingdom during at least one year's Hanukkah celebration. 

Daily lunchtime readings, during which our mother read aloud to us books by Madeline L'Engle, Laura Ingalls Wilder, C.S. Lewis, Roald Dahl, E. B. White, Astrid Lindgren, and so many more. Nourishing the mind and body! 

Today I'm happy to be carrying-on the read aloud tradition with my girls. We're not yet up to chapter books, but my husband and I spend time each day reading aloud a variety of board and picture books. And one of my favorite times of day (should tantrums be avoided. And, in fact, as a way to avoid tantrums) is our nighttime routine.  Mama reads a story aloud (Uli listens, Ilse chews on a board book) and then Daddy reads a poem. It's one of the sweetest times of day, and a routine I hope we continue for years to come.

So, this is my family's World Read Aloud Day. Will you be reading anything aloud today?