Spot the alliteration competition!

What prompted this entry is books. Well, books and libraries which, as is usually the case on these pages, have stirred a long forgotten memory.

If you like reading, having children is extremely handy because you get to read to them every single night. I love reading and have done for as long as I can remember. I used to spend entire days at our local library; not only was it a library but it also had a swing park behind it so for an 11 year old bookworm on summer holidays it was perfect.

I can picture the table I always sat at to read the books I had chosen; I would usually chose Tin Tin or an Asterix and Obelix tale and I clearly recall how exciting it was to turn the pages of an unknown adventure. And if I couldn’t finish the story there and then I would take it home to carry on reading.

The nice thing is watching how much Joseph and Annabel love books too; let’s face it, it’s always nice when something you like is also liked by your children. When reading stories at bedtime though, I sometimes forget to slow my pace down for whoever it is I’m reading for. Of course, if I’m reading to Annabel, she is very quick to clasp a hand over the pages to stop me turning to the next page, but Joseph is more passive, allowing me to turn the pages at my desired speed. The reason I mention it however, is because when he reads his school books to me, he often turns the page and studies the picture before going ahead with the text, sometimes for several minutes at a time. If he ever struggles with a word, he will refer to the picture to try and glean a clue on how to continue.

More and more, as we’re driving along in the car, Joseph will suddenly speak some seemingly random words. I turn to look at him, follow his gaze out of the window and realise he’s reading the name of a shop or an advertising board.

He looks pleased with himself.

And rightly so.

I say to him, “isn’t is exciting Poops? Isn’t it exciting that you’re learning to read and you can see words everywhere?”

I tell him, “the words have always been there. It’s just that you never knew what they were, what they meant. And now you do!”

I think he appreciates the gravity of it.

What’s wonderful is that Annabel is just as keen on reading. In fact, thinking about it, she has more imagination that her big brother does. When she does her disappearing trick and if you can sneak up the stairs quietly enough, you will usually find her sat on the floor of her bedroom with a pile of books next to her, flicking through a story book, narrating what is happening.

The clever thing is that she will often remember a story word for word after being told it just once.

Am I gushing?

Perhaps.

Books are cool.

Go and read one.