Emma Mactaggart
I can distinctly remember sometimes experiencing the tight feeling in my chest as I contemplated reading at night to my children. Our eldest was like a helium balloon and it took all my energy to get her off the ceiling and be still for long enough to tuck in to bed. I discovered very early that if she ‘helped’ me reading to her little sister, she was wonderfully compliant.
Here are some classics that proved to be incredible to lower the tempo in our home and transition from ‘the crazy day’ to ‘quiet peaceful space’.
When you read Where is the Green Sheep by Mem Fox, the ‘clip- clop’ rhythm means it will quickly be mimicked by your child, and they will experience the thrill of ‘reading’ a book themselves. With only 168 words, it is worth reading slowly, leaving time to explore the illustrations, and you will feel the change of energy as everyone relaxes.
Anything by Dr Suess! The perfect foil for any tired parent who desperately would like some downtime rather than having to dig deep to find their inner actor at the end of the day! Try a rhyming story like One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. Unless you are an avid reader of these books, your child will be fascinated by the non-sensical illustrations and concentrate deeply on the images, giving you room to manoeuvre the words!
The Day the Crayons Quit This story makes a connection to the world, providing a hilarious link between story and art in a very colourful and imaginative way, giving children’s creativity a nudge! It is also a brilliant way for children to see conflict resolved, and it also generates thoughts for introspection (read: a quieter child) and all the while they thought they were merely being read a picture book.
Aaron Blabey has the ability to team his words and images in such a compressive way that you will not be left wanting.
“I need a hug. Will you cuddle me, Lou?’ ‘What? With those spikes? Get away from me! Shoo!’ All this little porcupine wants is a hug. But with such prickly spikes, will she ever get the cuddle she craves?”
Who doesn’t need a hug, besides, hugs are another way to slow down the tempo and feel your little one relax.
Oh and if we need more hugs, how about some positive affirmation about how much that little person is loved. Guess How Much I Love You is another comforting, sleepy-time picture book and can be the catalyst for some very special parent / child conversation. Now shhhhh my little one!
I need to turn out the light…
