It’s a well-known fact that reading aloud to your children has many benefits. It helps them with literacy, it aids in expanding their vocabulary, and it can provide great bonding time. With so many children’s books on the market, how do you know what’s best?

This isn’t a well-known fact, but I love thesauruses. I use one at least five days a week, multiple times a day while I work. As a curriculum lead, I’m always looking for the best ways to phrase our English Language Arts lessons so that students are exposed to a variety of words, particularly ones with nuisances. It just so happens that today is National Thesaurus Day.

Picture it: It’s December 1—you’re still full from Thanksgiving and just kicked off the holiday season by fighting the Black Friday crowds. You think you have it all together until you hear the little voice in the next room shout loudly at 6 a.m., “Mom, Alfie is here! Alfie is here!” As you wake up thinking yet another stray cat arrived on your doorsteps, you realize Alfie is your Elf on the Shelf, and he’s still buried with the leftover wrapping paper somewhere in the attic. Nope. Alfie is not here.

The struggle is REAL! To those parents who argue with their high school students about reading, you are not alone. Students often use the same excuse, “There is simply nothing good to read.” I want to help you combat that argument.