Roy and I are both keen readers, having been so from an early age. I remember fondly my early library visits, reading anything I could get my hands on from the Chalet School and Trebizon books to historical Mills & Boons (it is a proud day when you get your young adult library ticket), classics such as Sense and Sensibility, Little Women, Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild, horrors, Anne McCaffrey, historical accounts and more, much more! I was always something of a sponge when it came to reading and no genre was ignored.
Roy is also widely read, although his favourites fall within the sci fi and fantasy section (a love of which I’ve keenly adopted which means I may add Raymond Feist, David Gemmell, the Dragonlance and Forgotten Realms sagas and more to my list of favourites!). Even now as busy grown ups with work and responsibilities we both ensure that we have reading matter to hand and carve time out of our week here and there to dedicate to enjoying a good book.
Reading gives us both a lot of pleasure and has broadened our horizons immeasurably which is something we both hope the boys will enjoy as they grow. At 4yrs and 8yrs both are story/book fans with Kieran (the eldest) devouring books much as I did when I was his age and Taylor loving story time. Already he is telling stories to his teddies, his brother and to us by using the pictures in his books and letting his imagination run wild. He’s recognising and sounding out letters and I know that when he starts school in September that his reading skills will start to develop quickly. An exciting new chapter indeed!
Roy and I both have our favourite type of books and favourite authors and of course there are some that we’d love to see the boys enjoy as they get older that we did when we were younger. What’s important to us though is that they find their own way, develop their own love of reading and decide what brings them the most joy. I can see Kieran enjoying the same fantasy type and adventure books that we have loved although I also think he might also be one who likes mysteries (he likes working things out). Taylor is harder to read as his favourites at the moment include The Dinosaur That Pooped a Planet and similar titles (oh to be four again!).
All we can do is encourage their love and make sure a wide range of books are readily available (we are fans of The Works). We visit the library, take part in their Summer Reading Challenge (this year will be the first time Taylor has been old enough to take part!) and keep our own bookshelves very well stocked with a range of different books, comics and more.
We both sincerely hope that their enthusiasm for reading continues on as ours has. I can’t imagine a world without reading, without the magic of walking in someone else’s shoes and experiencing worlds (real and otherwise!) that we wouldn’t otherwise get a chance to.
What do your little ones love to read? Are you a big reader? I’d love to hear what your favourite authors and titles are (any inspiration for new books to try are always welcome!).
