RAR #259: Books Take You Places
Read-Aloud Revival ®
Sarah Mackenzie
4.9 • 3.3K Ratings
🗓️ 20 February 2025
⏱️ 35 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Have you ever read a book and felt like you’d actually been to that place?
Me too. Once, while standing in line at an amusement park, I met a couple who told me they were visiting from Maine. And I almost said, “Oh, I was just in Maine!” Except I’ve never actually been to Maine. I had just read a book that was set in Maine, and it was so immersive, it felt like I’d been there.
That’s the power of books. They take you places.
Books help us experience different narratives and cultures from all over the world and throughout history. They give us a taste of places and people we might not otherwise encounter. Reading books can enhance our real travel experiences, too.
Today, I’ve invited RAR Premium Coordinator Leilani Curtis to join me to talk about how books take us places. Plus, we’ll share a very fun new booklist we’ve created and plans for a whole new series of lists that will be coming up!
In this episode, you’ll hear:
- How stories help us forge connections to places
- Our perspective about the way reading can inspire family adventures, big and small
- Tips for tailoring travel reading around your child’s interests and your destination
Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/books-take-you-places
📖 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.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Once upon a time, a little girl grew up to draw pictures. |
| 0:06.4 | These pictures would wing their way into millions of hands around the world, maybe even yours. |
| 0:13.8 | But who was the woman behind these beloved illustrations? |
| 0:19.1 | From Narnia to Middle Earth, |
| 0:21.8 | Pauline Baines brought worlds to life with her art. |
| 0:26.3 | And now, Waxwing Books presents Painting Wonder, |
| 0:30.5 | how Pauline Baines illustrated the worlds of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. |
| 0:35.8 | It's a new picture book biography for the whole family, |
| 0:39.6 | written and illustrated by Katie Ray Shone. Pre-order the book now at Waxwingbooks.com or text the word |
| 0:47.3 | Narnia to 3377777 and let the wonder begin. |
| 1:03.2 | Have you ever had the experience of reading a book and feeling like you've actually been to that place? |
| 1:05.3 | This happens to me all the time. |
| 1:11.9 | One time in particular, I remember I was standing in line at an amusement park waiting to go on a roller coaster, |
| 1:16.6 | which means it was a good day because I love roller coasters. |
| 1:22.8 | And I was chatting with the couple that was standing in front of me, and they said that they were visiting the amusement park from their home in Maine. |
| 1:25.8 | And just about then, I about started to say, |
| 1:29.0 | oh, I was just in Maine. And I realized, no, no, you have never been really to Maine. What had |
| 1:36.4 | happened is I had just finished reading a historical fiction novel set in Maine. So it felt |
| 1:42.7 | like I was there. And that's the power of books. Books have the ability |
| 1:48.9 | to take us places. Welcome to the Read Aloud Revival podcast, the show that helps you make meaningful and lasting connections with your kids through books. |
| 2:11.6 | I'm your host, Sarah McKenzie. |
| 2:14.6 | One of the things I love about books is this immersive ability to make us feel like |
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