Great Read Aloud

In the numerous books I have read aloud over the years to hundreds of children, there is a single moment that has arisen above any other as my constant favorite. This year, I had almost forgotten about this particular book as a read aloud. But last week, while browsing the shelves of our school library, I stumbled across the section of Roald Dahl books.

When I introduced "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" to my class, they all, of course, claimed to be very familiar with it, having seen the movie. But I know a secret. Reading the book is a hundred times better than seeing the movie. From the moment I began with "Here Comes Charlie", I had captured the imagine of every single one of those 6 and 7 year-olds. A few chapters later, I came to that all-time favorite moment I mentioned.

Four of the golden tickets have been found, and Charlie and his family begin to starve. Then one day, on the way home from school, Charlie finds a dollar bill in the snow. He takes it to the store and buys a candy bar, which he devours. He decides to buy just one more before taking the remaining money to his mother. He opens a tiny corner of the candy wrapping and...... sees gold! It is at this exact point that my students, leaning forward with intense concentration and anticipation, erupt into applause and spontaneous laughter. You would think each and every one of them had just seen their very own golden ticket! I love it! It makes me smile just remembering....