I used to be an avid reader, starting from when I was around four years old, or maybe a bit younger. I recall asking my Dad what
the word "p-y-j-a-m-a-s" was as I spelled it out. I was reading the newspaper which had a story of a woman who was found
murdered in her "pyjamas". Poor old Dad raced in and grabbed the paper from me, saying I was too young to be reading that. I have never lost my love of reading, although now it's rare that I
get time to sit and read - what with working full time, and then three children at home, there just never seems to be time to read
as much as I would like to anymore.
On my Poetry, Art & Books page you will find some links to sites that feature some of my favourite books, mainly those I loved
as a child and links to quality sites.
As a child I loved reading The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis. (I was hooked on them ever since our school teacher read
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe to us in class).
School holidays came and he hadn't finished. I begged him to
allow me to take the book home for the holidays, and bless him - he gave it to me. My son Matthew was given the set for his 6th birthday and he also was delighted. He read them all within a couple of months). I also loved Heidi by Johanna Spyri, the
Anne of Green Gables series by Lucy Maude Montgomery,
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, Little Women series
by Louisa May Alcott, Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales, Aesop's Fables, The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley,
Peter Pan by James Matthew Barrie.
These were all some of my favourites - although pretty much anything I could get my hands on that wasn't too "lame"
I'd enjoy reading. I would spend hours in the local library engrossed in the books that I couldn't take home because my card only would allow a certain number to be borrowed (and of course I had reached the limit) - so I'd read what I could of a particular book then hide it right at the back of the shelf for me to read the next day, (hoping that the librarian wouldn't find it).
These days I don't think kids read enough, nor do they get read to enough. It's vital as parents that we make time to read to our kids, those stories that will stretch them a bit, not overwhelmingly so, but enough to pique their interest and provide some good dialogue between you and your child. Sure, some of these books may be seen as "old fashioned" but there's a reason they are called "The Classics" - they really are timeless, and you'll see how much your kids enjoy them if you start reading to them.
I know it's sometimes hard to find the time in the busy schedules we have these days, to find the energy after a day at work, and all the household chores, but hey, maybe when you've taught them to read, you can lie back and listen to them read you one of your favourite childhood stories *smile* - now there's a thought! Besides isn't story-time the best way to settle a child for the night, all snuggled up in their beds and off to dreamland with visions of fairy princesses or brave knights in their little (and not so little) heads. (Older kids like to be read to as well, but sometimes they don't like to let you know that, they just "hang around" when the stories are being read - have you noticed that?? *smile*). I love that time with my kids, I love ending the chapter and having them beg for more. Occasionally we do read a bit more, but usually they have to wait eagerly for the next installment until the following night. The next night brings a speedy bedtime!
Last Christmas I was given a gift of money to buy books.
Wow - letting me loose in a bookstore was the greatest present!!
I can get lost for hours in a bookstore! *smile*.
My partner always tries to walk quickly past any bookstores, because any slowing down means I just have to go in and peruse "awhile" - now my idea and my partners' idea (well almost everyone I know really) of "awhile" actually differs greatly, especially where books are concerned, hence I was sent off to the bookshop on my own to buy my gift. I purchased the following books and thoroughly enjoyed them:
The Girl In the Picture by Denise Chong, the series of
Snake Cradle, Snake Circle and Snake Dancing by Roberta (Bobbi) Sykes, and The Last Samurai by Helen De Witt.
The last one being a bit of departure from my normal choice of reading, but I enjoyed it just the same.
I did NOT like Dr Seuss as a kid, but now I read them to Savannah and Imogen (who do love him by the way) and I'm having such a great time reading them now too.
The books are really clever, and even have an environmental message if you read "The Lorax" which is one of my favourites now. This was Savannah's favourite for a long time. Given that she is not allowed to tell people to "shut up", and the character in the book tells the Lorax to "shut up if you please" I would always get a hearty delighted chuckle when reading that section. |
