Books, beanstalks and a yellow duck

It doesn’t seem like 5 minutes since we had world book day 2020, and yet here we are again!

Having missed the ‘official’ day due to the class having to isolate, the Dude and his friends finally got to join the fun this week; and despite having an additional week to sort out a costume, we STILL left it until the last minute as per usual.

The book of choice for my boys class was Jack and the Beanstalk.

After a short ‘discussion’ over what exactly Jack took from the giants house (I was insistent it was a magic harp, Mr V was convinced it was a golden goose – a quick check through the book ruled we were in fact both correct).

Sam was duly wheeled in front of the camera for his class video call clutching his Golden Goose (aka ‘pineapple duck’, a souvenir from a long-ago theme park visit), with his own beanstalk sticking out of the back of his chair…

Aside from the fun of costumes, world book day is a reminder of just what a precious commodity books and stories really are.

Not all children (or adults) enjoy reading – as a fully-fledged book worm and bibliophile, I am overjoyed that my boy shares my love of stories.

He may not be able to read them himself but one of his favourite activities is reading together.

Over the years we have read all sorts – from the picture books popular with very young children, through David Walliams stories and, Sam’s absolute favourite, Terry Pratchett and the Discworld series.

Reading to him is one of the highlights of my day, a time that is absolutely precious and which allows me to revisit old favourites as well as to discover new authors and books together with my boy.

Even Daddy enjoys sitting and listening as Mummy gives each character their own voice, Heaven forbid that I forget which voice belongs to which character!!

Reading together is so important for Sam, not just because he enjoys the stories and laughing at Mummy being silly; it also helps his vocabulary develop.

Sure, he is officially non-verbal, but that doesn’t mean he has nothing to say.

You just need to listen differently.

He understands everything he is told, and that understanding has developed partly as a result of him being exposed to language, stories and reading - it was even part of his therapy program for a while.

Stories also have the ability to take us away from reality, and to explore different places; just because he can’t read them himself doesn’t mean my son cannot enjoy the escapism and magic created in other ways.

So I will continue to put aside time to read to my boy; although, we’re coming to the end of our latest book… anyone got any suggestions for our next adventure?