I have yet to find any research to document it, but I believe that my efforts as a young mother to create different “voices” for characters in some of our favorite Read-Aloud books had a positive impact on my children’s reading and comprehension abilities. A recently published book, Escargot* (written by Dashka Slater and illustrated by Sydney Hanson) is a favorite new addition to our Read Aloud Library.
If nothing else, reading with dramatized voices made reading together more fun for me and my children. I didn’t realize that the voices I created became part of the character itself. Recently, when I was reading the book, Geraldine’s Big Snow* to my granddaughter, my daughter interrupted and said, “That’s not what Geraldine sounds like!”
I was being lazy and not using the appropriate “voice” for Geraldine. My adult daughter stood there with her hands on her hips until I started reading with the different character voices I had used when she was a little girl. Mr. Peters had a nasal monotone. I used a higher-pitched voice for Geraldine, a young pig who is weary of waiting for the first snow of the season.
Learn a French Accent
Escargot* is another of those delightful books that begs the use of a voice and accent that are different from your usual narrative reading voice. With very little practice, you can create your own French accent. No one will care at all about how authentic it is. You can help create a unique character for Escargot and make him a favorite childhood memory for your little one. I’ve read it several times and try as I might, I slip into a French accent even when I don’t intend to. The structure and vocabulary of the book make it almost impossible to read without lapsing into an accent, and that is as it should be. It’s part of what makes the book so magical!
Here are the basics of a French accent according to voice coach, Gareth Jameson:
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