A love of books

As a child, I loved all things book related. I was captivated by the world of books, the way they bought people together and the stories they told.

I distinctly recall losing my first tooth due to relentless wiggling on my Grandma’s couch while reading Black Beauty, my first chapter book – a gift from my great grandmother.

I remember being gifted a novel on Christmas Eve by my aunt and staying up reading as late as my tired little eyes would let me, not caring one bit how tired I would be in the morning.

I remember at 8 years old my favourite game to play was ‘library’. I would neatly organise all the books my brother and I owned, I issued library cards made of crayon and cardboard to my library visitors, and I would help the kids and grown ups in my life borrow and return books to my little library.

And best of all, I have wonderful memories of my own mother always encouraging my love of words. She made the time to read books to my brother and I and supported our interests, as they grew and changed throughout our childhood just like we did. And when I started writing, she always cheered me on. I’m blessed that she still does to this day, offering constructive criticism and encouragement whether I want it or not! (Love you, mum!).

It is recommended to read to children regularly, even before they can understand the words. I’m glad my mother followed this advice and its something I have also done with my own kids. I love to share my love of books with my littles and to see them as engrossed in stories as I was is priceless.

Here’s to creating more books for the next generation to cherish as much as we cherished the books we grew up on.