Once upon a time…..

……there lived thousands of books about magic. Not magician type of magic, but fantasy magic. Magic that makes your imagination run wild. Magic that has you dreaming about a life that doesn’t exist, yet it seems so real to you. A type of magic that stays with you into your adulthood. Yes, that’s right, I’m talking about children’s books. Now I’m sure many of you had a favourite book to read as a child? Or one that your parents or family member read to you, yes? Of course you did! I bet you can even remember it now. If you can’t remember, have a think about the books you came across as a child. There will be one that will jump out at you in relation to certain childhood memories. Thought of it? Let me know in the comments your favourite childhood book and why.

How many people reading this are parents? You’ll probably have a slight advantage here if your child likes to read. What book(s) does your child or children enjoy the most?

When I was a child I read a lot, apparently. No change there then! I read Jill Murphy’s ‘The Large Family’ and ‘The Worst Witch’; Roald Dahl’s books, especially ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,  James and the Giant Peach and the BFG. To name a few! But, the two books that remind me of my childhood the most are Noddy, and The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton. Such classics. There are thousands of children’s books, some even being very popular today. Such as Alice in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll) and the fairy tales (Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Cinderella etc).

I will admit that as a late twenty-something woman, I still LOVE The Magic Faraway tree because it still takes me fall into the magical lands every time I read it. Such an incredibly clever written story. Anyone else familiar with it?

Despite there being multiple ways for children and adults to get access to books nowadays, it makes me feel sad when I get told a child doesn’t read books, or even when an adult tells me that they hate reading. Whilst I am fully aware that there may be health obstacles for the individual, it’s the choosing NOT to pick up a book just because. I sound like a book snob and I do apologise, BUT, who would choose not to escape into a make-believe story? A story that lets them forget their own troubles. What do you do when you go onto social media? You read. But you’re reading countless posts of the same thing over and over again. Somehow that is more appealing than reading a book wondering what Mary Berry would do, or finding out about a deep, dark secret within a family. I do realise that reading isn’t everyone’s cup of tea sadly, but it really is an incredible way of broadening your mind and your imagination. There is a book for everyone out there. So many authors that have been on the scene for years, are still bringing out amazing books, and there are authors debuting their novels which shoot straight up the Kindle chart (Katerina Diamond – The Teacher, if you’re interested!).

Who is reading this now that wishes they could read more, or that wants to get train themselves to read something other than social media? Fancy a challenge? I challenge every single one of you to find a new book and read it without giving up halfway through. Let me know how you get on with it, what you enjoyed and see if we can get #garnetchallenge trending on twitter shall we?

I would love to hear your thoughts on anything mentioned, and please tell me your favourite books!

T’ra.