“Why do people choose to believe lies even on scant or nonexistent evidence? What must happen for evil to get a grip on a person or on a country, and what does it take to defeat it?” J.K. Rowling begins in her forward to “The Ickabog”
And so, with “Fred the fearless” who once killed a wasp all by himself (not counting the 5 footmen and a boot boy)…We are off on another grand, multilayered and humorous yet ironic adventure.
A much simpler plot actually then Harry Potter (2nd graders would enjoy, as chapters are very short). Yet, this simple story contains deeper themes woven throughout that can lead to important discussions: Like how manipulators work. The dire consequences when we allow ourselves to believe outlandish lies. Why do people believe popular lies? Is it easier than believing the truth? Or is it because we don’t know what to do if the truth is actually true.
😊I enjoyed The Ickabog as much as my kids. (I’ve found that’s key to what I choose for a chapter book read-aloud😉) We also enjoyed listening to part of it as an audio book on our Alaskan Adventures.
The backstory: When her own children were small, J.K.Rowling wrote this story for them and then put it in the attic. Then in 2020 during COVID-19, she decided to release a chapter of “The Ickabog” online, each week for children all over the world stuck at home. She also asked those children to send in possible illustrations for her book and they did! They are delightful and diverse. We absolutely love how much they added to the story!!
But wait, people ask- do you STILL read to your kids who can already read?
Yes, my youngest was 11 (at first reading) so although it’s harder to find time to all sit down together, it is so worth it! In the summer I find that one book, gather as a fam before bed (most nights😉) and we dive in together.
Find more of our favorites in stories by ages/family read alouds
Big Picture: Why Read Aloud as a family?
❤️To connect to each other
❤️To disconnect from screens
❤️To laugh together
❤️To slow down, to breath
❤️To become independent thinkers
❤️To love
❤️To listen, to discuss
❤️To search for understanding to current events through the doorway of the story
❤️To ponder another perspective
This time reading together is beyond priceless to me as it strengthens and connects our family in a rare way. This quality time is harder to do as the kids gets older but it is so worth it- recentering all of us. Find out more about this in my about page
Highly recommend The Ickabog by J.K. Rowling
What do I look for in a family read-aloud?
☑️A simple yet relatable story that can be read on multiple levels (I’ll be sharing more of our favs here)
☑️One That I want to read too
☑️A good beginning “hook”
☑️Short chapters
☑️Good mix of humor and deeper meaning
What if all the kids don’t want to join? That’s okay -once I turn screens off and just start reading, if there’s a good hook or a funny part, I find they slowly make their way within hearing distance. 😉
#icareiread #screenfree #strengththroughstories #whyweread #jkrowling #ickabog #readinglayers #screenfreetime #familyconnectingtime #familyreadaloud #readaloudbooks
