Looking for your next great read-aloud story?
We’re all moving so fast
Finding time to read with kids can be hard. Parents are busier than ever. Teachers are pressured to boost test scores. And everybody's choice of reading material is infinite. Meanwhile, kids are tugged ever more powerfully toward digital media.
But we're losing something.
We're losing our ability to pay attention, and with our ability to imagine, to empathize, and to think deeply about the problems we so urgently need to solve.
And the world grows more frenetic every day.
It's not your fault.
Modernity is a double-edged sword that graces us with boundless freedom to create and change even as it unmoors us with speed and choice.
Reading aloud to kids can help us recover what we’ve lost.
Reading builds up attention spans. It elevates test scores. It helps families bond. And does a hundred other wonderful things. In an unfair world, reading is the great equalizer.
Plus it's fun!
It's a challenge, though, to find that next great read-aloud book. One your kids will love and you won't mind reading over and over again.
That's why we're here.
Making it easy for you to connect over stories
We believe that reading with kids can change the world for the better.
So we created a company to supply the reasons, the recommendations, and the reading material to help you raise lifelong readers.
The reasons (Why read?)
Our "Read with your kids a little every day" post — it’s actually a long-ish white paper — talks about the many benefits of reading aloud, and includes tips on what to read and how. (Did you know that regular reading aloud is the best prep for standardized tests?)
The recommendations (Just the right amount of suggestions)
Our book-recommendations posts include more than 200 carefully curated recommendations from our friend, children's-book expert Dana Gaskin Wenig.
Dana also writes one in-depth article per month on The Sustaining Books — the enduring children's classics.
The reading material (stories to read aloud)
Each month, we publish one new story. Stories can vary from ~40-page picture books to 300-page novels to everything in between.
Each is carefully crafted (some take years to write), illustrated, edited, and proofed.
To see what we've got planned for 2022-23, take a look at our "Season Reveal" post.
Will you like the stories?
We hope so!
A lot of people do. Here are some of the nice things people have said about our books.
"Ooh Odd Zoo: 25 Unusual Animals and 1 Ordinary Larva"
This brilliant, hilarious collection of playful (and surprisingly informative) verse is a huge hit in our house, right up there with "Where the Sidewalk Ends" and "Dragons Dragons." I've read it to my son a dozen times now and three or four more times just to myself.
— Matt
I bought this book for my grandson to enjoy, but I have to say, I enjoyed reading through it first and will look forward to reading it with him. Love the thought of Messy Blessings...appreciating the things you might normally find unloveable. And the illustrations are as fun as the story! Kudos to the author. Five stars and highly recommended for young children!
— Rose
When my now 5-year-old-son was smaller, we read Goodnight Moon all the time.
As soon as we got "Goodnight Tomb" in we read it, then he wanted to read it 2 more times. He laughed so hard and then compared the two books side by side and laughed more. This book is so clever and already one of our new favorites!
— Bonnie
But don't take our word for it!
You can read our back catalog free for yourself.
So what do you say? Wanna subscribe?
Here's what you'll get
The Bookshelf: Our back catalog of 11 books.
The Rec Room: A carefully curated list of 100 great children’s books from children’s book expert Dana Gaskin Wenig.
Our complete 30-page white paper (with a really long title) on reading aloud: Read to your kids a little every day until they're 18 to help them become their best selves (and maybe save the world).
One new book-length read-aloud story each month. These illustrated books range in length and topic. Some are ~32-page picture books, some are short novels (a la The Velveteen Rabbit or The Little Prince), some are rhyming books (a la Shel Silverstein), and some are longer novels intended for middle-grade readers.
One Sustaining Books column each month from children’s book expert Dana Gaskin Wenig. Each essay takes an in-depth look at an enduring children’s classic.
The Infinite Story Machine. This is a completely new kind of read-aloud experience we will release in the spring of 2023 and update annually.
Occasional bonus articles. I (Jeff) will write intermittent posts on reading-related topics such as: the connection between reading and attention, and reading and democracy; interviews with experts and other authors; updates on what I’ve been reading; thoughts on story structure and the writing process; and more.
FAQs
Aren't print books better for reading aloud?
Yes, absolutely.
To us, there is no technology as sublime as a physical book.
And nothing can match the cozy intimacy of reading a physical book with a child.
But … digital media offer a great second-best choice for when physical books are expensive or unavailable.
The web also offers a few things physical books can’t.
Audiobooks, for example, are a great resource, especially when families are traveling.
In addition, we've been working on some applications that will allow you and your children to share read-aloud stories in ways that are only possible online.
Stay tuned …
Why are your stories all different?
To be honest, it's because there are so many things that interest us.
We love all kinds of children’s books — different styles, different genres, different subjects.
We realize that variety may be a drawback. The conventional wisdom in publishing says we should just do a series or publish the same kinds of books over and over.
But we're trying to do something a bit different.
Think of us like Johnny Cash. Distinct voice, lots of variety.
A book a month? Do you have enough inventory to sustain that?
Yes.
We currently have several years' worth of stories. Plus, we're writing more all the time.
And long-term, our plan is to publish an even wider range of talented voices. Wouldn't that be great?
Are your stories any good?
We think so, but you can take a look at our Bookshelf to judge for yourself. All the books there are free for you to read.
What if I don't like the stories?
No hard feelings — you can cancel any time. :)
If you've purchased an annual subscription, we'll issue a refund for the balance.
Why should I subscribe to you when there are lots of great options?
Here are three reasons that come to mind:
Voice. Because, simply, you like the way we tell stories.
Curation. You like our less-is-more approach, which is basically one story and one long-form book review per month, plus some extras.
Vision. Like us, you feel that reading with kids can change the world for the better.
I subscribe to a lot of services. Will you notify me when it's time to renew?
Yes.
It's a built-in feature of Substack.
Plus, we only want you to subscribe if you're getting value from us.
Do you sell books?
Yes.
We sell physical copies of many of our books on Amazon.
Who are you?
Bob is a Seattle entrepreneur who’s spent more than two decades launching creative and technology businesses.
Jeff is an author, copywriter, and brand strategist who's worked with many of Seattle’s flagship companies over the past twenty years.
We consider 320 Sycamore Studios the most important work we've ever done.
Happy reading,
Bob and Jeff
