Episode 2 - Sarah Miller, Can We Read?

Read the intro here:

[reading excerpt of Pout Pout Fish]

That is me. Reading the Pout Pout Fish to my two year old twin boys just before bedtime. This book has been such a hit, and it comes as a point of pride for me to say that I’ve read it enough times to have perfected each major character’s voice, to include Pout Pout himself, and his friends Ms Clam, Ms Squid, Mr Jelly and Mr Eight– all of whom are pretty over Pout Pout’s gloomy ways and just want him to cheer up!  And because I’ve pretty much memorized it from reading it so many times to my boys, I even add a bit of an enactment to it – an added benefit to this gem of a book.

I read so many books to my kids, and none so far has quite had the spellbound effect on them like this book. Its illustrations are beautiful, the writing is ripe with delicious vocabulary building opportunities and reciting it out loud is as fun as hearing it come alive.

And as a mom who loves to read and is passionate about passing that love of books on to my kids, I’m always looking for more books like these.  Dealing with the capricious interests of a two year old means that I need to find the next family bedtime favorite fast. And it’s not that easy to do! Trust me, I’ve tried. Even at the height of enjoyment — even Pout Pout finds a competitor.  

[talking to kids]

Friends and family members with little tots have served to offer great recommendations. Of course, the local public library and the bookstore is great too. The internet can overwhelm your search query, but if one is so inclined as to spend time, there are plenty of resources.

I will admit, I often wished I would find a place I could go that kind of did the work for me. Well, being part of the Substack community eventually led me to that very person, author of Can We Read? a weekly guide to children's books, raising readers, and building a culture of reading in your home.

My guest today is Sarah Miller hails from Madison, Wisconsin, where she works a full-time job outside her home while also balancing marriage, motherhood, and a teetering TBR pile. I am elated to have her on my second episode of She Does Profess.

Sarah Miller, Author of Can We Read?

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