Family Read Aloud Night!

Pizza, books, dancing, singing and a guest appearance, all in one night celebrating reading and families at the most recent Family Read Aloud Night. Family Read Aloud Nights, a component of Read To Me, Arizona!, are held once a month throughout Tucson in schools and libraries and at community centers.

Read To Me, Arizona! is a public information project led and administered by Make Way for Books in collaboration with the Pima County Public Library, United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona, and Reach Out and Read Southern Arizona.

“We especially work in areas where the resources may not be as available to families,” said Executive Director of Make Way for Books, Mary Jan Bancroft.

The goal of the free Family Read Aloud Nights is to promote early literacy through book skits and other fun activities that get the families engaged and excited about reading. Not only do children and their families participate in activities, but also they receive a literacy bag with their very own new books and reading activities to go along with the books that were read that evening. Plus, families get to enjoy meeting new friends during a pizza dinner.

“It is a free event for families to celebrate books and reading for young children,” Dr. Bancroft explained. “We model reading aloud and give tips throughout the evening on activities that parents can do with their children while reading a book; and, we explain why reading aloud is so important.”

This event is bilingual; the books are read in both English and Spanish. Each book has a different activity, and everyone gets to warm up to the “Hokie Pokie!”

Cragin Elementary in central Tucson hosted Family Read Aloud Night on February 16 for about 85 people. The first book read aloud, “The Doorbell Rang,” engaged the children as they said aloud a recurring sentence in the story, answered questions about the book, and even did a counting activity associated the book.

A very famous character, Curious George, visited with the families as the evening came to a close. Curious George is gearing up for the next Family Read Aloud Night and hopes to see your family there! For information on the next Family Read Aloud Night, please visit the Read to Me, Arizona! website, readtomearizona.org.

Make Way for Books is celebrating its 12th year of promoting literacy for children birth through five years old. The organization’s biggest event is the annual Story Town Family Literacy Festival, which takes place in November downtown at the Pima County Public Library.