Episode 10

Isn’t reading something really important?

After all, being read to is something great, isn’t it? That’s exactly what LeseLust e.v. does! Today we had a wonderful conversation with Andrea Rübsam – board member of LeseLust e.V. on the topic of reading aloud children’s books.

What makes reading aloud so special? What is the magic of reading aloud? What do I look for when reading aloud? What effect does reading aloud have on children? These are the questions we dealt with in this episode.

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“What excites you about reading aloud and how did you come to Leselust?”

Andre Rübsam

Andre Rübsam

Chairwoman - LeseLust

I came to LeseLust Leipzig e.V. through reading and life:
When I moved to Leipzig with my family in 2011, I immediately got reading cards for myself and my sons for the Leipzig municipal libraries. In the event programme of the libraries, I noticed the VorLeseLust series of LeseLust Leipzig e.V.. It said that “reading mentors” read aloud to children. That sounded really interesting! When I met my friend Karen in a course a while later and she told me about the association’s “LeseLust im August” reading festival, which she had already helped organise, and invited me to join the press team, I was thrilled. I first joined the press team in February 2014, and since then I have been working with the others to look after our social media channels and website, and regularly provide information to our press contacts. Since 2018, I have also been helping to organise our annual highlight in the association’s life, our reading festival “LeseLust im August”. In 2019, I was elected to the board and I am always happy to be able to implement new things for the association and its goal of getting children interested in reading to themselves through reading aloud. For example, our series of read-alouds via video “VorLeseLust digital“: https://www.leselustleipzig.de/vorleselust-digital/

What inspires me about reading aloud is, on the one hand, the closeness it creates. Stories connect! Reading books together and looking at the pictures can create a very homely atmosphere. Of course, it also encourages conversation. Both sides benefit from these wonderful moments: the children experience a new world, can give free rein to their imagination, put their thoughts into words and pictures. Some of them make huge leaps in their language development! And the readers get so much back! This intensive interaction with the children has always been the best part of reading aloud for me. And it is the same for our reading aloud patrons.
The other thing is that it is simply fun to read aloud. Thinking up different voices for the protagonists in the book, incorporating certain sounds or even movements into the stories. Noticing which way of reading aloud or which version of the story goes down best. And to make sure that the story continues in the mind. Then everything is possible!