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Reading

The Enjoyment of Reading . . . for Parents
Do you enjoy reading to your child? Or is it something you dread or try to avoid when you can? A recent survey conducted by book data company Nielson and publisher HarperCollins has found that only 40% of parents of children aged 0 – 13 enjoy reading to them.  We all know the benefits of reading for children and adults, and this starts in childhood, usually with parents reading to babies and young children. For children to see reading as …
Reading

World Poetry Day
This Friday, March 21, is World Poetry Day. Established by UNESCO in 1999, World Poetry Day is a day designated to promoting the reading, writing and teaching of poetry. There is no doubt that poetry and verse is a brilliant way to discover literature and get into reading. With shorter line lengths, less words and usually a less dense layout, poetry can often be seen as a very accessible form of reading.  With its lyrical and musical quality, poetry is …
Reading

World Book Day 2025
‘Read Your Way’ is the theme for this year’s World Book Day on March 6. The idea behind this theme is to encourage children to have the freedom to read in any way in which they choose, whether that be a traditional book, an e-book or an audio book, fiction or non-fiction, graphic novel or picture book – anything goes!  Often many children (and adults) can see reading as a chore. This possibly comes from the way in which they …
Reading

Does Reading = Happiness?
The UK children’s laureate, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, certainly thinks so. He believes that a decline in children’s happiness in the UK is linked to a decline in reading for pleasure. He also believes screen time plays a part in this decline, with some children not encountering a book before they start school and then trying to swipe a book to turn the page in the same way that they would use a screen.  Today, at The Reading Rights Summit in Liverpool, …
Reading

Children’s Historical Fiction – Bringing History to Life
Reading can do many things – introduce us to new people, places, experiences, ideas and possibilities that we may never have known but for a book. It can also project us forward into the future and back into the past. And although dwelling on the past is not seen to be a good idea, knowing and understanding it does help to know and understand the present and the future.  However, engaging in the past can sometimes be difficult, as it …
Education

The #ReadingRevolution
Reading for pleasure is a vital life skill that has to be nurtured. Unfortunately, as with many things in life, not every child has an equal opportunity in this area. Some children come from homes where they are taken to the library on a regular basis, are frequently read to and encouraged to enjoy books, have lots of books within the home, see their parents/siblings/significant people in their life reading. All these things are great ingredients to instil a love …
Reading

Rereading to children – is it beneficial?
If you have children in your life, you’re probably familiar with them enjoying their favourite book over and over again, whether that’s having it read to them, or reading it to themselves. There can be the thinking that it may be of more benefit to them to widen their reading experience and to try out new reading material. But, did you know, there is much more value in rereading books than might first be apparent. Let’s look at five benefits …
Education

Creating Lifelong Readers
Having a love of reading is one of life’s joys and is something that can be enjoyed, no matter what life stage we are at. It can see us through the good times and the bad, it is there to be used as an information tool, an educational tool, as well as a tool of comfort and of joy. Reading is something that can be shared and used to create bonding experiences, be it between friends, loved ones or parent/caregiver …
Reading

Reading Children’s Books . . . as an Adult
Children’s books. They mean different things to each of us. For many of us, especially the bookworms among us, there is often a lot of nostalgia wrapped up in our memories of children’s books and thoughts of a simpler time when we maybe had more time to read than we do today.  But when did you stop reading children’s books? As a child? As a teenager? Or maybe you still read them as an adult? But if you do still …
Books

TPP Reading Club – Author Interview with Sarah Webb
To kickstart the TPP Reading Club, we were delighted to meet with one of Ireland’s most popular children’s authors, Sarah Webb . . . 1. How long have you been writing, Sarah? I’ve been writing since I was about ten years old. I was late to reading – I didn’t read fluently until I was almost ten. 2. What made you want to become a writer? Being a reader! Once I could read, there was no stopping me. I practically …
Reading

We’re Back!
It’s September. It’s a new school year. And that can only mean one thing – we’re back!  Welcome to the new season of The Primary Planet and News Flash. There’s lots to look forward to, old favourites and some new favourites too. Our biggest ‘new favourite’ this season is AG MAG – our new magazine for young farmers and their families, as well as for anyone who is interested in all things AG! AG MAG is a bi-monthly mini-mag that …
Reading

The Beauty of Reading Non-Fiction
Sometimes, when discussing reading for pleasure, non-fiction can take a bit of a back seat. However, it is important to remember that non-fiction is as valuable as fiction, and there are many who prefer it. There is so much to be discovered through reading non-fiction and so much knowledge to be gained.  So, what are the benefits of reading non-fiction? Here are our top ten: Non-fiction covers such a wide area of subject matter too; in fact, it basically covers …