The joys of reading - Giving a real gift for life

THERE can be few greater gifts a parent can bestow on a child than a love of reading.

It encourages curiosity, independence of thought and it helps to form a person emotionally, intellectually and spiritually.

A parent who encourages a child to read will be introducing them to a habit that will confer lifelong comfort and companionship. The process will also usher the child through a doorway that leads to the most vivid expressions of the human mind and heart; to the places we best describe ourselves and the way we interact. The power of the written word is such that even in this time of many powerful alternatives, book sales are at an all-time high and continue to grow.

Today we start a series suggesting starting points, books that might help in the process of inculcating a love of the written word, a love of trying to understand the challenge of becoming a good human.

This aspiration informs nearly all great writing and exposure to it can only be of benefit to the individual and to society.

Encouraging a child to read is more than habit forming for the child, it is a two-way process that will enhance the lives to both teacher and pupil and everyone around them.