Making Friends With Young Readers

The children were all there by 2.45pm on Friday 2^nd March, on the carpet, with books. Yippee! They were actually waiting for me, repeat clients. Nice.

Five more children had joined. We had three boys now, a snotty nosed toddler, the boy in grey khakis and an older, worldly wise young man who was all swagged out in his civvies, coolness personified (he had dashed home first…). There was an effervescent young lady in pink, information just bubbling out about all the books she has read as well as shy wide eyed Molly sitting with little Sylvia. We were making friends and sharing names.

So, we finished the butterfly lion, the Adonis blue butterfly’s at the end went down a treat.

          ‘What do you want to read now’ I asked. There was a moment’s uncertainty. ‘Why don’t we each go find a book from the shelf and decide together’ I continued. Like an Olympic starting block, they were off. Fabulous.

We moved onto a short story by Enid Blyton. A crazy story about a bad wizard who makes a spell tht back fires. There was a lot of giggles. But the childrens choices were dominated by picture books, well below their reading ages. The group seemed hungry for conversation an wanted to look and talk more than listen today. We were making friends, I obliged. 

We talked our way through books about sleeping and bedtime and readers about different animals around the world. Animals are a favourite. So I told them my own tale of Fudge the Hedgehog Thrower. Here is an excerpt from my story:

        'Fudge is a chocolate coloured Labrador with a lot of energy, infact, Fudge doesn't walk, she boings! Yes, boing, boing boing! Fudge has amber eyes and a very waggy tail and she REALLY really loves squeaky toys and cricket balls. When she is not going boing boing boing, she goes squeek squeek squeek. 

        One morning, as the sun broke free across the tree tops, Fudge was snuffling along the hedges in the fields next to home. Fudge stopped suddenly and would not move. Beneath the hedgerow there was a small brown spiky bundle. As it slowly unraveled Fudge's eyes lit up. Fudge quivered a little, and shivered a little. Everything was very, very still. Suddenly, and without warning Fudge took a leap forward, stuck her long nose under the creatures' soft tummy and tossed it high in the air....'


It was 4.30pm, where did the time go.