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Not everyone has the means to own children’s books; some have other priorities. And, with the increasing pace of the modern era, a growing number of parents are finding it difficult to find the time or energy to sit down with their children to read together.
Two years almost to the day after his first appearance on Just One More Book!!, author of the Little Wolf series and the Harry and the Dinosaurs books popularized through their own television show, Ian Whybrow returns, this time to discuss an initiative to put two free books in the hands of children who are reporting to school for the first time of their academic career in the hopes of encouraging parents to read aloud with their children.
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Photo: Captured from the BBC report
Yeah, it’s not about being able to do funny voices - I completely agree with Ian. It’s about that spell being cast over you and your child as you read them a book aloud - you’re both caught up in the story, and it’s magic!
It’s interesting about the whole pride of ownership thing, and trying to get books into kids’ hands - I wonder if there are statistics on library card ownership, and if there are any literacy projects that focus on teaching kids how to get books out of the library for free…
thanks for this interview, I enjoyed it!
Lee
How wonderful to hear Ian Whybrow! I adore Little Wolf’s Book of Badness. It’s so amusing! And that’s the thing. I encourage parents not to disengage from read alouds with their children when the kids are capable of reading independently. They still appreciate the interaction with parents. If they don’t want to read a book with you, there is still the possibility of reading the book on your own and sharing your thoughts while inviting feedback. Parents honour children’s literature and their children’s interests when they remain actively intrigued by their children’s choices in reading. There is so much out there in children’s literature nowadays–so much to enjoy!