Lately here at RAR we’ve been talking about reading for refreshment—reading for the pure joy of it—and how our own reading lives can be a source of energy and joy even in the throes of the busiest seasons of motherhood.

This week on the podcast, we're revisiting an episode that dives into why reading isn’t just good for us and our kids, but why reading for fun is also an important part of our jobs.

In this episode, we talk about why it’s so important and what it does for our kids and for us. I hope you’ll be inspired to ramp up the reading for fun in your own life, no matter what else you have on your plate.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How modeling your own love for reading helps your kids fall in love with reading for life
• Why even short reading breaks are beneficial
• Tools and resources to help you step away from the laundry and make time to read

Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:

• Read-Aloud Revival
• Waxwing Books
• Subscribe to the Newsletter

Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/reading-for-fun

📖 Order your copy of Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien by Katie Wray Schon.

Dear Duck, Please Come! is the most fun I’ve ever had writing a book.

But writing the words is only half the story for a picture book. Which is why today, I’m delighted to share my conversation with the illustrator of Dear Duck, Please Come!, Charles Santoso.

Charles was born in Indonesia, raised in Australia, and now lives in Singapore. He’s illustrated tons of books we love here at Read-Aloud Revival, and I was over the moon that he agreed to illustrate Dear Duck.

In this episode, we’re diving into the collaborative process of creating a picture book, the inspiration behind Dear Duck, Please Come!, and how illustrations tell a story.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How Charles decides on the tone and style of his illustrations
• The way the world of Dear Duck developed from first sketches to the final illustrations
• Charles’s best advice for aspiring illustrators

Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:

• Read-Aloud Revival
• Waxwing Books
• Subscribe to the Newsletter

Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/how-illustrations-tell-half-the-story

📖 Order your copy of Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien by Katie Wray Schon.

At the start of a new year, we are overwhelmed with the phrase “New Year, new you!” And of course, we want to be better wives, better mothers, and better people.

This desire to improve ourselves filters into our reading lives, too. It’s easy to justify a lot of our reading if it helps us be better for our families and communities.

But what about reading for fun? What about reading fiction? When you’re a busy mom, is it worth it to carve out time to read just for the fun of it? And how would you even make that time?

But reading for delight is like stopping for water on a long, dusty hike. It’s a lifesource for us mamas. Today, RAR Community Manager Kelsey Murphy joins me to talk about how to be refreshed by your reading life.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How stories nourish us in essential ways
• Why you have to give yourself permission to quit books that aren’t working for you
• The way reframing reading for pleasure will help you make time and model a rich reading life for your kids

Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:

• Read Aloud Revival
• Waxwing Books
• Subscribe to the Newsletter

Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/you-can-be-refreshed

📖 Order your copy of Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien by Katie Wray Schon.