For undergrad, I wrote my thesis on how environmentalism is discussed in children’s picture books. As the name would insinuate, I had to read a lot of picture books for this research. While the public library had many of the ones I was looking for, they weren’t always available for check-out. Through trying to solve this problem, I stumbled across the world of picture book read-alouds.
I had heard a little about read-alouds. I began hearing about them epecially during the COVID quarantine, when elementary teachers and daycares would upload read-alouds of picture books for the students at home. I love how they make reading accessible—giving children and families access to a wide range of books from their home. In my L2P placement, I also saw these used as teaching tools. My teacher would put on a read-aloud of a thematically connected book as a hook or introduction into a lesson.
For this post, I wanted to showcase some read-alouds I found (as well as their associated YouTube channels) and take a try of making one myself from home!
Read-Aloud Channels: e.g., So’oh Story Time
First, I wanted to talk about So’oh Story Time. In her channel description, she introduces herself: “Hi, I’m Shannon LaRance — I am Diné (Navajo), Hopi, and Assiniboine. “So’oh” means “Grandmother” in Hopi, reflecting the heart of our rich storytelling traditions. Here, stories aren’t just read—they’re brought to life to educate, entertain, and connect generations.” https://www.youtube.com/@soohstorytime
I loved how she discussed a focus on reading as connection. That is one thing that read-alouds are perfect for: they connect everyone to a story together. Having these video read-alouds gives the chance to utilize the video format, so that the pictures can be projected larger onto the board. As well, the video can be paused to bring in discussion or to answer/ask questions!
Author Channels: e.g., Bruce Simpson
This is a video I included in my previous inquiry post, but wanted to highlight it here again. Bruce Simpson is not only reading Paislee and the Talking Tree, but he is also the author. In making this video, he has made his book accessible for anyone to access completely for free. With his background as a kindergarten teacher, I appreciate how he shared his book for other teachers to access and bring into their classrooms. His entire channel also opens another way teachers can incorporate tech into their teaching: through a YouTube channel.
His channel is not dedicated to read-alouds, like So’oh Story Time, but instead to the songs he writes (as evident in the channel description): “I started writing children’s songs for my Kindergarten students and can’t stop. Lyrics in the videos to help children learn the words.” https://www.youtube.com/@BruceSimpsonSongs/featured
Visually Enhanced Storytelling: e.g., Marcus Winter the Sandman
This one is a little different than the above-mentioned read-alouds, but I love this channel too much to not include it. Marcus Winter is an artist who creates live representations of Māori oral traditions and histories through sand art. His videos both narrate the story, and show his live sand design. I came across his channel when looking for a representation of the Great Fish of Māui story and have been made a fan! Here’s his introduction from the channel description: “Kia ora tatou katoa! My name is Marcus Winter – a multi-disciplinary artist from Aotearoa ( New Zealand). I have a passion for creating sand art, transforming your ideas into reality. I am dedicated to helping artists earn a living from their craft and inspiring future generations of sand art storytellers.” Ki te Wheiao ki te Ao Mārama! Bring Your Ideas to Life! https://thesandman.co.nz” https://www.youtube.com/@nzsandman
Videos like these, that use technology to combine stunning visuals with stories and information, are engaging ways to share knowledge in any classroom. Even bringing in cross-curricular connections with art! In my upcoming practicum, I am doing a unit on Polynesia and will definitely be bringing in Marcus’s videos when I discuss Māori oral traditions.
My Own Attempt!
To end this post, I wanted to take a try at making my own read aloud. As I don’t have a tripod, this was created using a precarious stack of items on my desk with my phone on top. While simple, it did show me how incorporating tech in this way isn’t as initially daunting as it may seem! Not only are read-alouds accessible for the viewer, but all you really need to make them is a book and a phone camera. While not for YouTube, these could be ways to free up hands in class, or have book read-alouds prepared for substitute plans!
UPDATE: While I did record myself doing a read-aloud, I then thought back to our discussions on copyright laws. I realize that, without seeking the publisher’s permission (like many read-aloud channels do) or not being the author myself, posting my read-aloud here violates the copyright. So, instead, I thought I would share a resource I found answering the exact questions I have now about being a teacher and online copyright for digital recordings of books. This question and answer page was specifically made to discuss copyright laws in Canada in the context of online learning. I found these discussions really interesting, and a reminder of considerations that need to be taken into account when adding tech to learning.
https://www.fairdealingdecisiontool.ca/Resources/covid19/
Well, sorry my Sylvester and the Magic Pebble recording is unable to be posted here! If you would like to read the book, I recommend it and would be happy to share my copy! Until then, I will try not to break any copyright laws.
