It only took me 5 years to read Angela's Ashes

My eldest, Little Miss is 7 is really coming along with her reading. She's in grade one and I find it fascinating how all this reading finally starts to come together. We have always read to her, even when she was a baby and I like to think that it has helped her development. I remember hearing Mem Fox, childrens' author extraordinaire, saying something like "reading 3 books for about 10 minutes each day will have an amazing influence on your child's exposure to words". Not only do your children get to hear such wonderful words and stories, but they get to spend such special time with you in a (hopefully calm) and relaxed setting.

Recently I attend the Digital Parents Conference and Hardie Grant Books were one of the sponsors. They gave me a book to take home. I chose one of the Billie B Brown Books by Sally Rippin for Miss 7  called "The Secret Message." She was given a 10 book box set for her birthday in January but hadn't really gotten into them yet.  She has always loved being read to and is doing quite well at school, but the nightly "school reader" has always been a bit of a chore. "I'll just do 2 pages because I'm too tired!" Soooo, the Billie B Brown book was the first "non-reader" book that she attempted on  her own and guess what, she loved it! What a revelation, find something you like to read and it's not so much of a chore...der!!!!

Ridiculously, I only discovered in the last couple of years the kinds of books I like to read. I used to struggle to keep interested in a book and I too found reading a bit of a chore. Mr G jokes about "Angela's Ashes" that I bought on our honeymoon at the airport. I think I finished it about 5 years later. I actaully really LOVE to read stories about travel and culture and food!

Anyhoo, back to Miss 7. I interviewed her last night about "Billie B Brown: The Secret Message" by Sally Rippin. Here it goes:

Q. What is The Secret Message about?
It didn't actually have a secret message. She (Billie B Brown) was making up stories.

Q.Why?
Because she wanted to play with some girls but she was too nervous to talk to them.


Q. Then what?
They built a sandcastle. Bille broke the sandcastle, the bottle split open and there was no message. Billie felt so bad. She ran off to the beach umbrella. Then the girls came back to see her and they were all best friends forever.

Q.Why do you like these books?
Each book has a secret word - this one was beach.
They are pretty easy to read

Q.Why do you like reading?
Well some books I get frustrated with and I don't like it but most books I am good at. (Hmmm...we have a perfectionist on our hands here so for her it's all about doing it well...that's another blog post)


So there you have it.

Some of the other books that she loves are:

The Enid Blyton classics (who doesn't love those?)

Andy Griffiths - she thinks they are hilarious - something about "the day my bum went psycho!" Mr. G thinks they are hilarious too!

Clarice Bean by Lauren Child and Roald Dahl (LOVE Roald Dahl!)

What kind of books do you and your kids love to read?