Raising a Reader

I was always fond of books for as long as I can remember. As a kid I read books regularly. I used to go to libraries with my uncle and I loved it. So, when I had a son, I wanted him to be a book lover. Books are always great companions.

My son showed interest in books since he was around 7 months old. He always liked to look at books (even the ones with out pictures). So, we bought him simple board books which were easy for him to handle. We read to him almost everyday. When he was around 1 year old, books were his favorite. When he was throwing tantrums or was very upset about something, books always instantly soothed him. Books were a part of any trip we took whether a 20 hour trip to India or just a 3 hour drive to Chicago.

Now books are a part of life for him. I take him to the local public library every week. We get new books every week. We bought a book shelf and keep all the books accessible to him. He loves that. He even manages to fit all his books in the shelf better than me 🙂 This helps him to choose the books and read them when ever he is bored. I never thought getting kids to read books is so easy.

Last year during our trip to India, his grand parents gave him lots of books. There are a couple of Telugu books in that pile, that he loves to read. He always asks for those books at bedtime. He has memorized the stories and keeps telling them all day. So, on my next India trip, I am going on a hunt to find new books for him. You would think finding Telugu books in a Telugu speaking state would be a piece of cake. Unfortunately it is not. All the big book stores have English books for children. Not many Telugu books for kids around the age of 2 – 3 years old. I am going to get him as big a collection as I possibly can. I am sure that will be one of the best gifts I can ever give him.