We are the Readers!!

"One book, two eyes and one light....that's all you need....and within no time...you have read over a hundred pages!' This is what Abhay happened to say about his interest in reading when asked to speak recently at his Youth Leadership summer workshop conducted under the auspices of Toastmasters International. Well, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't impressed at his bibliophile-style account of reading a favourite book while being a tad surprised too. Is Abhay  a voracious reader...No!  Does he pick up any book and begin to read.....not really! When asked to choose between a book and a device (not Kindle)...would he choose a book? I'm not sure but my guess is  that it would first be the device and then the book.

While Abhay has always enjoyed being read to, he has not always been enthused by every book I pick out for him to read!  Fair enough....he has his own favourite authors and genres ...like we all do. While he may jump at a novel by Michael Morpurgo and even manage to read it at one go, he may trudge though another book and even abandon it mid-way! It may be an award winning author or a Newberry medal book, but if the theme doesn't impress our big little man, he will not get past even the first chapter!  But as a parent it is my job to gently goad him to trying out new authors and works.....while learning to let go when he does not take to what I deem is good literature (which is very hard and easier said than done! ) If not anything else, that's another reason for me to continue reading to him from my curated buys, while letting him dive into the world of his own favourite works! Whatever said and done......... if books (or ebooks) even figure as one of the interests or hobbies for today's device obsessed generation to turn to, we can consider it as a job well done...for parents!

Books have been a integral part of our lives and our house-hold has books falling out of every corner rack....from books that we couldn't resist picking up at a book fair, books we bought for authors to sign on at lit fests, self-help books that we aspired to read only to be pushed to the last, multiple books that we've been currently reading depending on our moods, books we've read many times over and hold a sentimental attachment to, books that plan to pass on to our kids, children's books that our older one has grown out of (or we think so until we find him to pouring over them on some random jobless afternoon) and we hope our younger one soon grows into.... (but considering her independent streak......that may never happen!) Books ..books and more books! 

Our summer reads! 

With the World Book day yesterday,  I put my phone on silent and spent an entire evening reading to my younger one who is equally find of books and exchanged reading status updates with my older one who is spending a part of his summer vacations at his grandparents' at Dharmasthala. Soon it began it rain outside and I turned some music on.....as Abhay put it.....it was just one book (at a time)......two pair of eyes....one light......and we were transported to another world!  

Amongst the many books we read, I picked up "A Book is a Bee" a Tulika Publication by Lavanya Karthik and pictures by Ruchi Shah. Though we've had this book for quite some time now, its only now that I felt that Aadya was ready for it. True to the its title, this book lets you into all that a book can be and has to offer.....from being likened to a bee buzzing in your head to growing like a tree with branches that leads you to places all over the world, from being compared to a ship that lets you sail into far away waters waving with words to looming large like a rain cloud that showers stories! A book can play the role of your best friend and soothe you like a warm blanket and even offer a lip smacking feast!  A nice little book about the fascinating world of books with equally fascinatingly illustrations to get your little one hooked on to! Read on.....become a reader and you'll know what we are talking about!