“Children are reading more but enjoying reading less,” that’s the general consensus. What about you? Do you find yourself zipping through books on your Smartphone, interrupted by various chirps and gurgles to read posts and tweets. When’s the last time you visited a really beautiful library with your young readers and spent a few hours reading there? Many parents head for Chapters and over a frothy expensive drink allow their kids to pour, literally, over graphic novels or magazines. A positive experience with literature, I’m for it.
But last week Jennifer Mook-Sang (Speechless), Karen Bass (Two-Times a Traitor) and I headed in to Toronto early for a meeting so that we could see a picture book display at Toronto Reference Library on Yonge St. The display area was closed due to a maintenance issue but the library was so arresting we couldn’t leave right away. Instead we headed up the test-tube glass elevator overlooking all five floors of books.
As if that experience wasn’t gobsmacking enough, we stumbled on a Sherlock Holmes room.See below. I bemoaned the lack of beautiful books for children especially. Oh our picture books are great but our novels from chapter book on, don’t have the illustrations we used to enjoy as kids.I love the look of the red and gold book or in this case green and gold book. Don’t you want to sit in this room and read The Illustrated Sherlock Holmes.
Oh look book shelves with genuine books instead of the odd vase.
Check out the beautiful Sherlock Holmes chessboard, there are British Bobbies as pawns and Victorian people playing pieces.
Family literacy day is Saturday January 27th. Why don’t you and your family create the most beautiful reading experience for yourselves possible?
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