Reading - A Passion by Ni Merti

I don't even know when I got my first book, but as far as I can think back I remember this very strong passion for books. My parents had an antique version of lexica from 1928. It was binded in leather with gold letters on the back of the books. They weight about 2 kilos each. I spent probebly more than 2 years of time of my childhood sitting in front of them and finding things I never saw or heard before. As I grew older my parents gave me the membership to a book club where I had to order at least one book a month. Additional I went to all the book stores around and found my beloved Enid Blyton books. I guess from the more of 700 books this incredible woman wrote I read more than 300 at least. Do you remember Hanni and Nanni? Or Conny? John and Mary? At the age of 12 years I started to open books from my moms book case... A whole new world suddenly opened up. One of the most impressive books I remember reading - it took me 2 months - was "Das Boot" from Lothar Guenther Buchheim. The story of a submarine in the second world war. Some years later made to a move and series from the now very famouse Juergen Peterson. What got me most about the book was how people interact if they are looked up together for a long time, on a small place with hardly any contact to the outer world.

Nowadays book stores are full of all sort of books for kids. Even kids are writing books! Having a child of my own I have to admite I passed my passion onto her. With 2 months we started reading books. I remember when she was just about under one year I could tuck her on my lap for at least one hour reading books. I would take 5 or 6 books and let her point out which one she would like to hear next. No wonder she developed speach at a very early stage in such a rapid way that people often got surprised how clear she would put down her words. I would explain her the book and ask questions she can answer weather with a yes or no nodding or pointing out in the book.

About a month ago we went in the Smile Shop in Ubud. There is a small book corner for children books. (Please if you have left over children books dornate them there.) My daughter run straigt up to it, sat down and put her nose in all the books. She managed to pull out the best ones within no time. The ladies voluntairing in the shop were quite startled and loved to see a child not tucked to a gameboy, but pulling a whole load of books out of the store. Needless to say that I was on order to read them all that very night.

If I could I would live in a place full of houndreds of books. But first as I tent to move around a look it is to hard to carry them always around. And second, it is quite difficult to keep the few books I have in good shape. When I moved last I found that a lovely book I have for many years had been eaten holes into it over the last year. A little worm enjoyed it as much as I did...

If you ask me what to take to an deserted island? My 10 most beloved books and my coconut massage oil! If I have time - and since I am a mom this is a quite rare occassion... - I love nothing more than sitting down with a good book, nice drink. If the location is a beach with a food delievery to the sunbed I can spend all day just reading. Somehow over the years I have been reading many books about European history in the middle age. After more than 200 books in about the same direction I found incredible connections. I understood so much more aobut our history and why things are today as they are. No teacher, no TV or computer has been able to do so.

Books on CD's? Well it is a nice solution if you travel a lot, but at the end of the day I like to have a book in my hand. I like to mark a chapter and be able to open it up any time I want. Last Nyepi I just got a thought throw my mind. Got out of bed, took the torch (I know, no light, but it really got me) and looked up the book. You tell me how you do this with a book on CD...

So when did you buy your last book? When did you read your last book? When did you read the last time a book together with your kids? Do you know what books your kids are reading??? The Pondok Pekak in Ubud has many great books for kids and adults... And there will be a new libary raising in Bali Hati Mas School... Time to read! Time to check it out!

Having the Ubud Readers and Writers Festival coming up in September, we all should mark up the events to go to. The last year kids work shops were just great. As I follow up the Festival over the years, I guess they will come up with something great for the kids this year again. So if you happen to be in Bali in September - get your kids there!

Ni Merti - The Social Bug for Bali for Kids.com

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