You’re never too young to read a book!!!
Yesterday H returned home from nursery with her £1 book token. Any child in full time education should receive one of these this week. It allows each and every child either £1 off a book of their choice or to simply exchange the token for one of the named books working in conjunction with this years World Book Day.
Ive been scrolling through my fb account this morning and loving all the pictures of children dressed up as their favourite book characters. I can’t wait to help dress H and E up one day, when their school takes part.
Personally, I’ve enjoyed books throughout my lifetime, but I’ve never been a bookworm as such. Hubbie can rattle through about three books on a typical fortnights holiday, whereas I would struggle to get through even one.
It’s not that I don’t enjoy reading, because I do, I just think its because I’ve never really had the time to just ‘switch off’ into another world for long enough as I’ve always had other things that needed doing. And now that I have my two (fabulous but very time consuming) girls, I just don’t seem to have a spare moment. Every waking hour (there are lots of these) is literally spent cooking, cleaning, washing, ironing, preparing meals, bathing, changing, tidying … you get the gist.
(You’re wondering how I have the time to write posts, but not read? Well I was made redundant from the 1st January, so I have a bit if exta time. And I can get away with writing posts as I’m on the PC, so I can pass it off as looking for a job!!)
Plus at the moment, as soon as I’ve finished dinner – I’m pretty much ready for bed (how very Rock’n’Roll!!). So although I have good intentions, and trundle up to bed for the next enthralling chapter, (though nowadays this its the next post – woohoo!!) I find it’s suddenly 1’o’clock in the morning and the book iPad/iPhone!!) is stuck to my face with dribble on the same page I started on!
I think I’m also a bit like the character from the book “I Just Don’t Know How She Does It” by Allison Pearson (though I watched the film starring Sarah Jessica Parker, instead of reading the book). I always do ‘the list’ (again, taken from the same novel). I could be reading a magazine or book, when all of a sudden, something would prompt me to do something else, or act as a reminder of something I should have done – so then I’ll go off and do it.
I think I might also be the only woman alive to have started but not finished the E L James novel, ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’!! Don’t get me wrong – I enjoyed how far I got (and am fascinated as to how they’ll show this on film!), but then I just became engrossed in other things instead. Like a work project, home decorating schedule etc
But now I’ve got the girls I’m extremely keen for them to read. And enjoy reading!! Especially in this ever technically advancing world of the iPad/tv/video games etc.
I want them to be whisked away, up into the air on a magical flying carpet, or to be shipwrecked on a desert island, or to visit a land from long ago with talking animals. I want them to learn from books, become emotionally attached to a book, empathise with characters from books or form their dreams and ambitions from books (although Holly’s last request “to be a princess” is something even a book may not be able to help with).
For this reason I’m making sure I keep their bookshelf stocked, and often find myself adding a couple of books to the trolley on the weekly supermarket shop.
Ok, so my eldest is only 3, but she loves her daily night-time story, and we love the time we spend when reading to her.
One of her favourite books (and mine – as I like to put on an Australian accent when I read it!) was given to us for free from the Bookstart organisation, so you don’t have to even spend a fortune to find a favourite.
E is only 11 months, so she loves nothing more than eating or nibbling at H’s books, or looking at any book with a mirror in it!!!
As I’ve said in a previous post, I believe your children learn by the examples you show them, so I promise to make a concerted effort to allocate the time to read more books. And perhaps a few serious books, rather than my regular rom-coms!!
Any suggestions are welcome!
So, as the book token says,
……..’Which book will your little ones choose’
Xx
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