Parenting Australia

The Joy of Reading

While our sons aren’t reading yet, they do enjoy reading.
 
Both love climbing on to Harvey’s or my lap with a book so we can “read a story”. When it’s finished there’s always a sly little grin from Noah as he asks for another story, and another, and another until we say no. Ethan, too young to say what he wants, then finds one of his books and points out familiar pictures to us as we read the text to him.
 
Before Ethan was born and I used to bath Noah before dinner I would read him a book in the bath. The Rainbow Fish was our only bath book, and very well read as a result (so much so I knew if off by heart if he was to ever have a bath elsewhere), but he wanted to hear the story every night.
 
With a grandmother as a librarian I was born to love books, and looked forward to every birthday and Christmas when a new pile would be given to me to add to my own library. Now I watch as my own children are sharing the same joy when their great-grandmother brings new books for them.
 
Books have always meant complete enjoyment for me and, now, as an adult I don’t read as much as I would like to, but when I do it is bliss. Harvey always says he would love a room devoted entirely to books with row upon row of shelves right up to the ceiling, like the libraries in Jane Austen period dramas. I think we could devote a room to just books (we have enough) and I’m so glad our children share this same joy of reading.
 
My first book was a favourite of many – The Very Hungry Caterpillar – and my grandmother proudly tells the story of me as a young toddler just starting to form words pointing to a gherkin on my grandfather’s plate and saying “pic-kle” to him because I’d heard it called a pickle in my best-loved book. She has told that story to many, using it to illustrate the power of reading in learning from when children are babies.
 
I agree, and have read to both boys right from their infancy. They delight in Eric Carle’s caterpillar just as much as I did and it is one of their favourites also. Noah also loves any book that features a tractor, truck or train (anything with wheels really) and Ethan is focused on his In the Nightgarden mini board books right now because it is his favourite television show.
 
My friend Annalisa spends a morning each week at her children’s school helping out with the reading sessions in her son’s class. I love the sound of getting involved with books the students are studying and discussing the themes and characters with them. Getting inside our set texts in English at school was one of the most enjoyable lessons for me.
 
As the boys get older I’m looking forward to nightly reading sessions with one short book each and, maybe, a chapter from a longer book. I’m sure I’ll still be roped in to reading a few more too. Who can argue with a child wanting to read?
 
What are your children’s (or yours) favourite books?

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Johanna Baker-Dowdell is mum to two boys – Noah and Ethan – and combines looking after them with her work as a blogger, journalist, writer and public relations consultant. She owns and manages Strawberry Communications which started small in the third bedroom, but has grown into its own office space (in the converted garage).

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