Bed time stories
Literacy in Australia is on the decline, a young man told me the other day. (I knew that. I’m sure I've heard it somewhere else.) He’s only 18 and it was pretty funny hearing the wise old sage stuff coming out of his mouth, but he’d just returned from half a gap year in Europe visiting others more literate than us and it sounded as though his opinion was based on first-hand information. An equally young friend then joined the conversation and together they began to deplore the inability of their age group to construct a simple paragraph that actually makes sense. And they’ve just finished high school! They said emphatically that their own peers aren’t reading enough, that screen time is a waste of time and the best way to learn to write properly is to read well-written material. And no, I did not prompt them to this conclusion.
So I have been thinking about how, as a parent, one can help. And I think (disclaimer, because I’m not a teacher) that one of the best things parents can do to promote literacy in our kids is to read bed time stories. Besides, it’s so much fun!
Reading for pleasure, and reading well-written books with your kids brings cuddles, laughter and precious discussion time all together in one ten-minute daily dose, and opens a whole world of wonder for your child. So here are some books and poems that we all loved and still read both on our own and to each other, and I hope that you will enjoy them too.
1) Tiddler – Julia Donaldson. It’s hilarious listening to teenagers read this children’s book aloud to each other.
2) Each Peach Pear Plum – Allan Ahlberg and Janet Ahlberg. I bought this recently though my kids are much older than the target audience, simply because we loved the rhymes, and the illustrations tell a subtle story of their own.
3) The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe – C S Lewis. You seriously can’t go past Narnia. Read the whole series. It’s lovely, gripping, and brilliant.
4) Chadwick’s Chimney – Colin Thiele. This beautiful Australian story rings with courage and adventure.
5) The Man From Snowy River – Banjo Patterson. There’s something about this poem that makes me choke up every time.
6) Swallows And Amazons – Arthur Ransome. This is the adventure every kid wishes was their holiday reality.
7) My Side Of The Mountain – Jean George. It’s the ultimate tree-house story
8) John And The Little Lost Lamb – Jane Latourette. A beautiful story of a rescue, told in verse.
9) The Giraffe, The Pelly And Me – Roald Dahl. A wonderful and wacky adventure about lollies, animals, and defeating the bad guy.
10) Green Eggs And Ham – Dr Seuss. Crazy silly, but also an encouragement to give something a go.
So why not give it a go? Pick a story and start reading!