Not Just Pooh, Pan, And Potter: Issue 11
Raising readers by scheduling reading time, #100days100picture books challenge, why children need to feel represented in the books they read, and watched Ada Twist, Scientist yet?
Hello Readers!
Thank you for stopping by! It means a lot that you have taken those precious two minutes out to read what I have written. If you are here for the first time, let me start by introducing the newsletter to you. I hope you find something you like reading here and worth sharing with another parent.
Not Just Pooh, Pan, and Potter is a fortnightly newsletter and an attempt to look at books, characters, authors, and reading lists beyond the usual suspects. Let’s laugh along with Charlie and Lola and give Hungry Caterpillar a break. Let’s reach for Toto the Auto and see our cities drawn in those books. Let empower our kids to find their own favourite characters and let’s normalise family reading as a legit activity! This newsletter will have tips to raise readers that actually work, reviews of books that I have read and want to share with you, links to interesting articles from the world of children’s literature, and a book-based show or movie to watch with the family. Sounds fun? Let’s do it!
It’s Reading Time! Raising Readers By Scheduling Reading Time
Reading, like anything else, requires hard work and dedication. That means you need to labour at it, put in the hard work, and then you will reap the sweet, glorious rewards. Reading is always the first casualty when you have a busy day. Life, work, the trendy binge-worthy show gets in the way and books are forgotten. Even for our kids — exams, homework, playtime, online games are all reasons to not pick up that book to read.
Pic courtesy: Tom Gauld
If you want to raise a reader, the first thing to do is to schedule focussed reading time. By that, I don’t mean mark it on your calendar and let an alarm ring through your house to signal ‘Devices down, Time to read’. But make sure to take time out every day just to do some focussed reading. Here are a few ways to schedule reading time into your child’s day.
Schedule 15 minutes to read before bed. You could all read in a room together or you could pick three books for bedtime — one of which you read aloud and the others your child reads quietly while you read your book.
Set a half-hour aside for your child to read after online school. Reading a book quietly will give them the time to unwind and ease into the rest of the day. Giving them this time to unwind with books will also help them answer your questions about how their day was in school more thoughtfully. Try it!
If your child is an early riser, help them start the day right with books. Earmark 15 minutes in the morning to read so they can start the day off with a good book while you enjoy your coffee in peace.
Take books along with you in the car. Long, unending traffic jams are often the best places to read!
For very young children find storytime groups in your local library or community centres. This introduces your babies to reading and storytime and they will begin to look forward to this special time.
For older kids try setting reading goals. Get them to join a book club so they have to finish reading a book in a specific amount of time so they can discuss the book.
Setting time aside for reading is crucial to raise a reader. Do this every day and your child will begin to look at reading as a non-negotiable part of their day. Do it continuously for a month and you form a habit!
#100Days100Picturebooks Challenge. Are You With Me?
Pic courtesy: Tom Gauld
As a way to battle my crippling end of the year anxiety, I have decided to turn to something that often soothes me — reading picture books! Actually sounds like a lot of fun, doesn’t it? So I have embarked on a project that will take shape on my Instagram page @mother_of_readers. Every day, until the end of the year, I will be reading and reviewing a picture book. Here is what I have so far. (click on the names for my review)
To The Moon And Back For You by Emilia Bechrakis Serhant and illustrated by EG Keller (click here to read aloud)
What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up by Jerry Pinto and illustrated by Ashok Rajagopalan (click here to buy)
Betiyaan Bhi Chaahen Azadi, by Kamla Bhasin and illustrated by Shrujana Niranjani Shridhar (click here to buy)
Every Colour Of Light by Hiroshi Osada and illustrated by Ryoji Arai and translated by David Boyd (click here for read aloud)
Shoo, Crow by Kavitha Punniyamurthi and illustrated by Priya Kurian (click here to buy)
Write in and tell me your favourite picture books so I can include them in my list. And also, wish me luck!
Why We Shouldn’t Force Our Kids To Read Our Favourite Books
Sometime last week I stumbled upon a rather eloquent post on Instagram where author Venita Coelho urged Indian parents looking for book recommendations for their children to look beyond popular authors. She begins her post by saying that yes, we all lived in a world where we loved Enid Blyton and her books about blue-eyed and blond-haired children but times have changed. She points out that the world our kids live in is so different from the one we grew up in and maybe it is time they read about characters they identify with? Maybe it is time for us to stop pushing what we thought was exciting to read as a child, on to them and instead give them the freedom to choose.
This post really resonated with me. As someone who recommends books to children of all age groups as part of my Mother of Readers service, I speak to parents who are in a rush for their children to read ‘trendy books’ like Harry Potter and Tintin comics. There are also parents who truly believe Indian writing is not what their kids should be reading. They believe international authors weave stories that are magical as compared to the hard-hitting reality served to us by Indian authors.
The problem with us forcing our kids to read the books we loved are manifold. For instance, the picnic scones with clotted cream and secret meetings in the attics may not amuse and amaze our kids as much because they already know (or may have even tasted!) all of the above from television shows and trips abroad. With growing divisions and invisible lines being drawn in our fractured society, our kids need to see themselves represented in the books they read and the shows they watch. The best way to do that is to read books written by Indian authors for an Indian audience. The easiest way to raise a reader is to get them hooked on to their reading material and the best way to do that is for kids to identify themselves with what they read. Children need to see themselves represented in what they read because books help them imagine worlds beyond their wildest dreams all while giving them hope to be what they want to be. Books our children read can be windows, mirrors, or sliding doors.
There is no must-read international book list your child needs to get through. They will be extremely content reading books written by Indian authors. Trust me when I say this, they will find their way to Harry Potter and Percy Jackson when the time is just right.
So Much Going On In The World Of Children’s Literature! Have You Read These?
Neev Literature Festival announced winners across multiple categories recently. How many of these winners have you read?
Don’t even for a moment think that work created for children is of lesser quality. Lauren Child, the celebrated author of the Charlie and Lola series says doing so will undervalue what it means to be a child.
Actress and author Twinkle Khanna launches the second edition of her popular book When I Grow Up I Want To Be. Packed with inspiring stories of real-life heroes, Khanna says this is her way of letting her daughter know that not all heroes wear capes.
Must Watch New Show Alert! Ada Twist, Scientist
Pic courtesy: Netflix
This highly anticipated and much-awaited series just dropped on Netflix and if your child is a fan of the books then this show is probably already streaming in your home. Produced by the Obamas and created by the same people who created the much loved Doc Mc Stuffins, Ada Twist, Scientist is a show that truly embraces STEM activities for kids.
Ada Twist is a child who fancies herself to be quite the scientist. She says the word experiment a lot and spends her days questioning everything around her. Her friends Rosie Revere, Engineer and Iggy Peck, Architect complete the team that hypothesises, ideates, creates, experiments, and decodes why things around them are the way they are. This is an exciting show for kids to watch because it lays the foundation for questioning and understanding the things around them. It is hard to not fall in love with the characters in the show especially when they ask questions even parents wouldn’t have thought to consider. This is a fun and informative show you will want your kids to watch. Check it out!
If you like what you read, please consider sharing it with a friend who will benefit. Help a parent raise a reader and tell them about Mother Of Readers, the curated book-recommendation service. You will be blessed with good book karma for life!
See you in two weeks!
Rati Girish
Blog: mumofreaders.blogspot.com
Instagram: @Mother_of_readers