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Reading with your child can be a very rewarding thing - stoking the imagination, the fun of discovering new worlds, and most of all, bonding with your child.
Reading with your child can be a very rewarding thing – stoking the imagination, the fun of discovering new worlds, and most of all, bonding with your child.
A lazy weekend and nothing like reading a good book sitting besides the window. At the backdrop is a setting sun painting the horizon in shades of orange, peach and red. Sitting glued to me is my ‘little one’ who was busy fixing a jigsaw ‘Gruffalo’ puzzle.
The moment it occurred to her that I am reading, she brings ‘The World of Peter Rabbit’ that has a compilation of 23 books with amazing characters like Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddle Duck, Benjamin Bunny, Mr Tod, Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton tail, Mr McGregor and so on. These characters don’t only exist in these books but are a part of our family and every day conversations. The moment I mention that roti-sabzi is Peter Rabbit’s favourite food she happily eats her meal.
I was amazed and watched her with love and admiration, my daughter emulating me, made me feel not less than a superstar! The way she was flipping the pages, reading every page commencing with One day…(she is only 3 and cannot read). She was busy rummaging through all those 23 books and then neatly placing them in the box. Then she got some more books and insisted me to read them to her.
I did the reading; she was seated in my lap and holding my hands and we were reading; bonding at every level. Very recently I noticed that she has been relating the characters from her books to real life; the rabbits in the zoo are Peter Rabbit and his family, every duck is Jemima Puddle Duck to her, an adult animal is always a Mummy to her and an infant is the baby. The other day she saw a big fat rodent and told me that it was Samuel Whiskers and we need to lock our fridge and cupboard doors as it may steal our food and tear our clothes; needless to say we did that and she felt secure.
We as parents were always very keen on buying books for her rather than toys and have a small library at home, a mix of newly bought and some second hand books. It is not only English but we work hard to read to her in Marathi and Hindi, our first languages. Every parent dreams of a fantastic world for their children and introducing them to books is one step towards it; best advisers, best friends and best companions.
There are many more advantages of reading. You will enjoy seeing their bright and happy faces when you read and narrate a story.
Together, we have also scripted a few stories; Aaji (grandma) and Fox, Aadhya and Mowgli, Aaji – Aadhya and Jemima Puddle Duck are a few to name. More than her, I enjoy the entire process of weaving a story for her.
Not sure about what she would inherit from us (parents) but we would like to gift her knowledge and wisdom through the beautiful world of books and stories that cannot be stolen, sold nor bought.
Image source: reading with your child by Shutterstock.
I have always loved writing and strongly believe that writing can create social awareness . I love writing blogs and want to write a novel someday. I also feel strongly about woman and her social emancipation read more...
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Being a writer, Nivedita Louis recognises the struggles of a first-time woman writer and helps many articulate their voice with development, content edits as a publisher.
“I usually write during night”, says author Nivedita Louis during our conversation. Chuckling she continues,” It’s easier then to focus solely on writing. Nivedita Louis is a writer, with varied interests and one of the founders of Her Stories, a feminist publishing house, based in Chennai.
In a candid conversation she shared her journey from small-town Tamil Nadu to becoming a history buff, an award-winning author and now a publisher.
Nivedita was born and raised in a small town in Tamil Nadu. It was for schooling that she first arrived in Chennai. Then known as Madras, she recalls being awed by the city. Her love-story with the city, its people and thus began which continues till date. She credits her perseverance and passion to make a difference to her days as a vocational student among the elite sections of Madras.
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