After my talk with the Health Visitor the other week and the article on BBC news online about how children's books are being ousted by DVD's (apparently 1 in 20 homes has less then 10 books in it!) it just made me sad that children are going to school not knowing what how to open books and not understanding the magic stories can bring.
I love to read, before BG I could easily devour a book in a day (I read the last Harry Potter book in 8 hours!). I love the way you can escape into a story and forget about whats going on in the real world. A great story will transport to where ever in the world it is set, you can smell the same smells and hear all the sounds, you can picture every last detail.
We always had loads of books at home when I was growing up, both my mother and father love to read and me and my sisters have that same passion for books. We share books, recommend books and buy them for each other.
Some of my favourite stories are from childhood books, Hedi is my favourite book but I will in all honesty read almost anything!.
Me and OH started to read to BG before she was born, we read 'Guess how much I love you?' to my bump for months and we carried on reading it to hear once she was born. Amongst her first presents where many books from my dad and sister including 'The very hungry Caterpillar' which I love. BG has a good collection of books at only 10 months old, in fact she has about 30!
BG has recently become obsessed with books, an obsession that makes me really happy. In the last few weeks BG has allowed me to sit and read stories to her again. She went through a stage, that when ever I got a book out she would just try to eat it, a phase I've been ensured most children go through! But now she will sit and sometimes I get to read the whole book before she rips it from my hands.
If I say to her "BG bring the book to mummy and I'll read you a story", she's crawls over with a book and a big smile on her face and climbs up for a story.
However my favourite thing is when she sits on the floor with a book in her hands and flicks through the pages by herself, it can keep her occupied for a good 5 mins! The look on her face is priceless.
I hope BG always has a passion for books, I can't wait to read her my favourite children's books like 'The Magic Faraway Tree' and all the old fairytales.
I would hate if TV or computers became more important then reading, books are great for the imagination and that's what children should have!
NM X
We love a book or twelve here too.
ReplyDeleteI think I might actually be a bookoholic. Is there therapy for this?
Big E will only go to sleep after a good 3 or 4 books have been read. Such a lovely thing to be able to share with our little people.
:)
We love books in this house - with Toddlergirl we started to read to her in the mornings and then added in books to bedtime. Now she has to have her stories before sleep !
ReplyDeleteI love that my 18 month old will read a book or ask for one to be read to her in preference to asking for TV ! Reading is such a great gift to give them for the future - imagine all those hours you couldn't lose lost in a book if you didn't grow to love reading
Great post Carol! I used to be a children's librarian in my old life so books are a very big part mine and Kai's life.
ReplyDeleteHe started pointing before he could do almost anything else (even crawl!) from our hours of sitting and looking at books and stories together. The touchy feely ones and ones with flaps are our personal faves :)
We love books too and have shelfs full of them ...
ReplyDeleteI think that by having the boys books in an easily accesable place for them, it has fostered their love of books.
ReplyDeleteWe love books too, and read the research about having to rename bookshelves because of all the DVDs. If we love books, chances are our children will too. Currently loving Snail and the Whale, Oliver Who Travelled Far and Wide, and The Witches. My oldest is four and a half, and would love recommendations. Oh, and nuffink wrong with a CD in the car, in my opinion...
ReplyDeleteI'm actually embarrassed to look in our cupboards, there are so many children's books in there. I can't bear to part with any of them. I'm so excited about the new Where the Wild Things Are movie it's ridiculous!
ReplyDeleteWe've recently started doing book reviews on LivingwithKids and they're proving very popular - I'm such a believer in reading with kids from as early as possible. And local libraries often do really cool reading sessions too.
Any books with soft/touchy pages are great for little ones like your baby x
i love books too, and hope to install this passion in my daughter. i often feel quite sad when i've finished a good book, like something is suddenly missing!
ReplyDeleteWe are a book loving family and Bel has bookshelf full of them. She has recently learned to read, and as the school are keeping her on the easy level and not letting her skip a level we have now got her a library card and she is loving reading books herself.
ReplyDeleteJust reeling from the fact that I have spent far too much on an Amazon order and now have five books for my son to read, more for me, and just one for the five presents I set out to buy. (Well, we may have to give our own up ... or buy second copies!)
ReplyDeletePlenty of books at our house!
Speaking as someone who's just had to buy YET MORE shelves to stop the floor (on three levels in this house) becoming awash with books, I feel I ought to put the opposite view here. After all, you can have too much of a good thing, can't you? And only a few of the bookshelves are being taken up with unsold copies of Writing Therapy...
ReplyDeleteOur shelves are straining under the weight of all our books. I think you can do nothing better than encourage your children to fall in love with reading and appreciate the magic of stories. I have just re-read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to Max and he, and I, completely loved it. I hope he will read it over and over again when he's able to read himself. :-)
ReplyDeleteOh yes - love books. When we moved house 3 years ago we didn't have any bookshelves because the house before had fitted shelves which we left behind. We couldn't afford for them to be made in our new house so all our books were put into cardboard boxes and stored int he loft. I was gutted. It was 2 years before we were able to afford our shelves!! And the first day they were made I stayed up until midnight arranging them all. It was brilliant. Sometimes I just stand and look at all my book and it makes me happy! Both my girls love books too, and yes, it is so so important to pass that love on. Well done you x
ReplyDeleteI think parents are the most influential factor here. If parents like to read then they'll encourage their children. IJ sees me reading lots, I couldn't manage without a book on the go, it's pure escapism. So it's been normal for IJ to have lots of books. In fact she has over 200!
ReplyDeleteApparently, there are now gadgets that download books. You can have a thing resembling an ipod that has approx 20 books on it.
ReplyDeleteWhat if it breaks? Ah, no reading!
I love a good book. No book, no escapism!
RMxx
insomniac mummy - Bless, I've got a huge stack of books to get through.
ReplyDeleteMuddling along mummy - I dread to think the trouble I would have got into when I was younger if I didn't have my nose in a book!
Josie - How cute! BG has just started to get into books with textures
A Modern Mother - good stuff
The Madhouse - I believe that helps, BG's are in with her toys
angels and urchins - Nothing wrong with CD's or DVD's in moderation
Liz - BG is loving books with texture at the mo.
MRS OMG - I know exactly what you mean
BNM - Bless her, BG already has a libary card! Lol
Catherine Whitney - Good old amazon! Waterstones have good prices as well. I'm addicted to buying books
The Dotteral - I guess we know what everyone is getting for christmas!
HCM - Love that book, can't wait to read it to BG
Maternal Tales = Thanks hun. I know how you feel, a lot of my books are in storage until we move to a bigger house
Rosiescribble - I completly agree
Rebel Mother - I like to hold a book!
I love books.Enid Blyton was my favourite too along with Roald Dahl.We have a huge collection of books some new, some from charity shops.The thing I do in the morning is to read to Mia.I don't think reading should be reserved just for bedtime, and not just books either.I hope BG grows up loving to read as much as we do.
ReplyDelete