Guide to choosing books for children of all ages
Most often younger readers choose a book because they like the illustration on the front cover! More experienced readers choose books based on their covers too, but they are also likely to choose a book that is on their favourite subject or by familiar author. So, how do you help to broaden what your children […]
Introducing books to babies and toddlers
From birth to the age of three, children learn an enormous amount of language – even if they do not talk a lot! So, the more stories and books you read to them, the more language they learn. There is no right or wrong way to use books with babies and toddlers. It is more […]
Seven tips for talking to children about books
Although it is always wonderful to curl up on your own with a book, talking about what you are reading can be a different kind of “wonderful”! This could simply involve recommending a book you enjoyed reading to someone else, or chatting to a friend about the characters and the plot in a novel that […]
How to become a good reader
There are so many different stories out there and so many books. How do we know which ones make good stories to read aloud? Which books should we read to children who can’t yet read for themselves? When should we share stories from our own culture and when should we share stories from other cultural […]
Giving books to children as gifts
When you next need to give a gift to a child, why not make it a book? When you give a book as a gift, you invest in the future of a child! Good books last for a long time and can be enjoyed over and over again. But, when you are in the bookshop […]
Learning about the world through books
Have you noticed how naturally curious children are? Given a chance they will ask question after question! Do some of these sound familiar: “Why is the sky blue?”, “Why do people get sick?”, “How are cars made?”, “Why is there night and day?” Whatever they ask, children’s questions can create great starting points for discussion, […]
Familiarising children with books
The young people of South Africa desperately need books. They need books in order to make friends with the whole idea of books. They need picture books, chapter books, books in their mother tongue, books for relaxation, books to feed their imagination, books for research. But the books themselves are not enough. Books have often […]
How to get kids interested in reading books
We know that reading lots of books helps to make children better readers. We also know that to spend a lot of time reading and to keep reading throughout your life, you’ve got to want to read! If we want to get our children reading and then keep them reading, it’s really helpful to understand what motivates […]
The value of picture books
Picture books are an imaginative introduction to the world of literature for children, which plays a critical part in their development. Picture books are meant to be read aloud so this makes them the perfect reading resource for sharing stories with children. As we read aloud, we are also able to have conversations with our […]
Five ways to make the most of your community library
When you were growing up were you lucky enough to have a library at your school or near where you lived? Did you ever visit it and use it? And, what experiences of using the library are you offering your children as they grow up? In South Africa, far too many people still do not […]
