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Opening a New World: Introducing Books to Young Minds

Let’s talk about ‘Reading’, one of the best habits to develop at a young age. A child is never too young to start this habit. We know that even infants respond to books. Books can be great fun for kids, and reading stories to even small children is a positive reinforcement. Buying books online in your child’s company helps ignite his or her curiosity towards the world of books and reading. An early introduction to books would allow them to grow up enjoying reading. 

Here RelayRead shares some pretty hacks to introduce books into young kids’ lifes:

Regularity Always Works While reading is fun, developing this habit comes with regularity and practice. Read out something interesting to your child daily. Engage them in the story in a way that it builds their curiosity to find out what is going to happen next. Reading to them also helps in building their concentration. Parenting super active kids can be tough. A habit of reading regularly channelizes their energy into something productive and calming.

Infuse Life In The Story Kids get super excited when you act like the character in the story! Keep them captivated, modulate your voice - roar like the ogre, and moo with the cow. They’ll start visualizing the script and the plot, their curiosity and imagination will soa. Give this a shot next time when you read to your child.

Encourage Exploration Kids are inquisitive, they love to explore. So even when it comes to books, let them explore. Begin by showing the cover page. Make it a practice to go through the cover page, the design and artwork involved, the book title, and of course the character detailing. This is a great way to develop imaginative power in them. The next time they will pick up a book to read all by themselves, they will observe all these things. We already discussed various parts of a book in this blog.

Spend A Day at a Library or a Bookstore Take your child to a bookstore and show him around. Help them explore different genres. Encourage them to pick up books of their choices. Introduce them to certain characters of novels or series. Comic books are a great way to get pre-teens to read. Taking kids to Book Libraries may sound a bit old school, but that’s a promising way to introduce books to them. It also helps improve concentration and builds discipline in kids.

Stay Informed! When you begin introducing books to your kids, ensure that you stay at the top of the game. Keep yourself abreast with genres, new book releases, facts and current events in the world of authors and books. It’s much easier with a toddler since you choose the books. However, as they grow, their exposure to the world increases and hence it’s always rewarding to stay ahead in the game as a parent or guardian, so that you guide them to the right reading material. What more, you’ll have an answer whipped up in no time if a question pertaining to a book or author comes along your way. This way you also open up options for your kid to explore further, e.g. to read up about Malala Yousafzai, who she is, and what she stands for. 

Keeping Books Handy Kids do a whole host of activities throughout the day. While outdoor play with friends has a very positive effect on kids, skipping reading books and spending time on gadgets is not a good idea. Have a mini library of their books placed well within their vision and reach. That’s a great way to encourage toddlers and preschoolers to develop reading habits. It’s a job well done even if the kid picks up a book and looks at the pictures! Don’t miss out on keeping a few books handy in the kids room.

Goal Setting Goals are a great motivating factor. Set reading goals with the young ones, join hands with them, play these reading games and help them achieve these mini goals. This will kindle the love of books and reading in them at a very young age. You can get as creative as you choose to be. Encourage your child to choose a book and complete reading it in a given timeframe, or motivate them to simply study a specific character in the story. You’d get a variety of options whether you get them to read books online or take them to the local bookstore.

Exchanging Books With Friends Exchanging books with your friends or family, brings us closer to one another. Motivate your kids to exchange books online or do so with their dear ones. Book exchange has several benefits - discussing a book, listening with an open mindset, sharing each other’s perspective, and hence building a deepened thought process. Kids would be thrilled to share books with friends. Let this be their first step towards ‘sharing is caring’ that you so want to inculcate in them. The exchange activity will keep them involved, and will develop responsible behaviour for keeping the books they have received in exchange in a good state. 

‘Read a Book’ Book Sessions Group book reading sessions are a regular at a lot of schools. You can easily create such sessions for kids with members of family or a group of friends. Create a fun and cozy environment, get them their favorite snacks; They’ll love spending the story telling time with their friends over cookies and milk. 

As you work towards introducing kids to reading, don’t expect results in the first try. This takes time to develop, but once done it will bear great results for your child in the future.

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The Amazing World of Fictional Books: My Bucket List

Imagine, how it would be to forget your day-to-day ‘real’ life and quickly escape into someone else’s world for a while. Readers who love fiction can relate with me when I share how I dream and wish that I could travel through all fictional worlds, meet my favourite characters and live through and experience the most eventful times in the history of every fandom. 

Enjoy my ‘Fictional Bucket List’ in which I share all the things that I would do if I ever got a chance to delve into fantastical words that imaginative authors have created. So here is how it goes - 

Tea party with the Mad-Hatter: ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is one of my all time favourite children’s classics. I imagine Wonderland to be a beautiful and yet a scandalous place. The animosity between the ‘White Queen’ and the ‘Red Queen’, the friendship between Alice and ‘Mad-Hatter,’ and the ‘March Hare’s’ snarky remarks are just a few things that make this novel absolutely gripping. Meeting the ‘Dormouse’ and the ‘March-Hare’ would be super interesting. If I got an opportunity to visit Wonderland, I would have a tea party with the ‘Mad-Hatter’, first up. But trust me, if the Hatter tells me that my ‘hair needs cutting’, I’m off!

A day of school with Anne of Green-Gables: ‘Anne of Green-Gables’ is the touching story of how a red-headed and rather unconventional orphan, turns around the lives of two elderly siblings. Set in the late 1800’s, this is a unique coming-of-age story about the spirited ‘Anne’ and her guardians, ’Matthew and Marilla’. If I ever went to the fictional town of ‘Avonlea’ in Canada, I would sport on the beautiful meadows, with one of my most favorite characters -  ‘Diana Barry’. I would  like to get lessons from the wonderful ‘Miss Stacy’, whose teaching skills are beyond comparison. Getting to chat with ‘Ruby Gillis’, ‘Gilbert Blythe’, and many others, would be truly awesome.

Assisting Sherlock Holmes: Though not the simplest of people around and may have invented the designation, ‘consulting detective’ for himself, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s ‘Sherlock Holmes’, is arguably, the best fictional detective ever (sorry Mr.Poirot). Solving crimes with him and ‘Dr. Watson’, would be a dream come true. Imagine receiving a note from him saying, “Come at once if convenient. If inconvenient, come all the same. S.H.”. Looking for clues when the police can’t find any, Waiting for ‘Irene Adler’ to show up, or playing cat-and-mouse with ‘Professor Moriarty’ would be exhilarating.

Playing Capture the Flag with the Demigods at Camp Half Blood: A wonderful fusion between ‘Greek Mythology’ and the modern era, Rick Riordan’s ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ is a book series full of action and adventure. If I get to visit Camp Half Blood, I would love to meet the demigods, especially ‘Annabeth Chase’ and ‘Percy Jackson’. I’ve always thought that it would be super cool if I could be a demigod myself, preferably the daughter of Zeus. Just thinking about how it would be to play Capture the Flag with the demigods gives me an adrenaline rush.

Experimenting Dream-Catching with the BFG and Sophie: Roald Dahl’s‘ The BFG’ is a sweet little tale of the special bond formed between a ‘Big Friendly Giant’ and a little girl, ‘Sophie’. The BFG practices Dream-Catching. I would love to watch him listening for a dream by moving his ears back and forth, and then trying to catch it by waving his enormous net around. What fun it would be to help him put it into a jar and listen to him give names to them! I hope the BFG likes me and treats me with a ‘golden phizzwizard’ every now and then!

Play Quidditch with the Gryffindor team: J.K. Rowling’s ‘Harry Potter’ is the first book series that I read, and as my parents put it, my obsession with Harry Potter is ‘Riddikulus’. Can there be anything better than a literally magical story about witches and wizards that can cheer someone up? If I ever visited the ‘Wizarding World’, playing Quidditch with the Gryffindor team and feeling the breeze as I flew on my broom is what I’d love to do the most. While I’m at it, I might sneak a visit to the ‘Burrow’, where I’ll look forward to being greeted by the warm and friendly ‘Weasleys’.

Spending Christmas at the March house: Beyond any doubt, Louisa May Alcott’s ‘Little Women’ is my favourite classic. It narrates the tale of the March sisters- ‘Jo’, ‘Amy’, ‘Meg’, ‘Beth’, and their beloved mother, ‘Marmee’. Each of the sisters are unique in their own way and spending Christmas with them would be an enriching experience. I would love exchanging presents with each of them. There’s just so much to learn from them! We could continue the tradition of performing one of Jo’s plays, too!

Hunting with Katniss: Suzanne Collins’ ‘The Hunger Games’ is a dystopian trilogy. Though I don’t really fancy to be a part of the ‘Hunger Games’ which is the essence of the series, I’d definitely want to make friends with the courageous rebel-with-a-cause, Katniss. The way she almost single-handedly provides for her poor family, and doesn’t hesitate even one bit when it comes to sacrificing herself for her sister, is very inspiring. It’d be a privilege to learn the art of archery from her, and to go out hunting with her.

Riding a Vampire’s Motorcycle with Jace: Cassandra Clare’s ‘The Mortal Instruments’ is an amazing series about Vampires, Fairies, Warlocks and Shadowhunters - people who fight demons. If I get to visit their world, I would like to ride a Vampire’s Motorcycle with Jace, one of the main characters. These motorcycles are special as they run on demon-energy, which gives them the unique ability to fly. Flying in the night sky on a vampire’s motorcycle sounds perfect, doesn’t it?

Written by-

Shreya, 16 years, RelayRead Member, Mumbai

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Hit a Reading Slump? How to Get Out of it

“If you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book” -J.K. Rowling.

Studies show that reading helps improve brain connectivity, improves one’s vocabulary, comprehension and builds empathy. Reading helps imagination and invariably transports the reader to fantastical and fictitious realms.

Wonderful books like ‘The Brief History of Time’ by Stephen Hawking, ‘Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind’ by Yuval Noah Harari, etc. tell us about the history of the universe. Then there are classics  such as ‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Bronte and ‘Little Women’ by Louisa May Alcott that paint beautiful pictures of the medieval era. And let’s not forget popular series such as ‘Harry Potter’ by J.K. Rowling and ‘The Hunger Games’ by Suzanne Collins provide us with thrilling entertainment and nail-biting suspense.

I have always been an avid reader - the “couldn’t go without a book for a day” variety. However, as the pandemic struck, this good habit started taking a back seat. Infact, this has been the case with many students my age. With all the online classes, tests going on, our not being able to leave our homes for long periods of time, it became tough for us to get time to simply ‘chill’.

Most of us started resorting to watching more  in the form of ‘screen’ Submerged in study material all day, spending my recreational time with more words (books) didn’t seem very enticing. But reading is one way by which I could watch a series of events inside my mind, by imagining the story that the book narrates, and giving it my own special touch. I decided to restart. I got up one day and peered into my bookshelf, looking for something new to read. When I didn’t find anything that I hadn’t already read (eBook is an option but that would further increase my time with ‘screen’). This is where RelayRead came in.

While I was struggling to find time to read, here are a few quick tips on how you could get back to reading - just the way I did it:

Help yourself with a headstart- Get into the groove. For starters - read short stories, newspaper headlines or any book that interests you.

Look for the right book- Choose a book that you enjoy. Scroll through a library if you’d like to rent a book. If you read something you like, making time for reading will become effortless.

Start small- Start with maybe a few minutes of your spare time, even if it is for as less as ten minutes. Remember, regularity and consistency scores over quantity.

First thing in the morning, and/or just before bed- Work and reading can co-exist. Set an alarm for 30 minutes earlier than usual, or sleep 30 minutes late to ensure that you read despite your usual hectic schedule.

Set reading goals- Set malls reading goals- weekly or even a daily time or page limit or set a goal of reading one book every fortnight or month. Now you have something to work towards.

Use reminders- Make the most of available technology. Just as we set reminders for tasks, set a few to remind you to read.

Choose books over TV or YouTube- Try and limit your screen time. Instead read physical books; they are easier on your eyes, experiment with book libraries or book exchange platforms. Best is to divide your entertainment time up, half and half between reading and watching!

Excuses! No More- Get over this big obstacle- an excuse. At first, reading might seem like a task. But once you start a book and get deeper into reading, trust me, you will not be able to put it down.

Reading daily is one of the best habits one can have. No matter how busy you might get, make time everyday to read. Just a few minutes of reading everyday will help clear your mind, keep you fresh and ready to take things head on.

Remember, books (and dogs) are our best friends.

Happy reading!

Contributed by- Shreya, Young Reader and RelayRead Member

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Books and Life of an Army Officer: A Talk With a Veteran Officer

Ursula Le Guin beautifully said - “But when people say, did you always want to be a writer?, I have to say no. I always was a writer!”

While most of us are blessed with quite a few talents, a few make a career out of their talents. And then there are those who keep working on their talents and gradually express themselves and showcase their talent to the world. 

We got a rare opportunity to interact with a veteran retired officer from the Indian Army - Maj Gen Binoy Poonnen. Here he shares his experiences and insights from his exemplary life, his career, love, and writing. 

Here are the excerpts of our interesting interview with us:

Q1. Please share a bit about your career

A. Commissioned into the 13th Battalion of the Mahar Regiment of the Indian Army in 1978, I served for 37 yrs and retired as a Major General. I served across many states in India, and also in a few overseas countries. During my career I had the honour of commanding the largest Division of the Indian Army.

Q2. What made you choose your career in Indian Defense Services?

A. A life of commitment and adventure has been my calling. Starting with my father, our three generations have served/ are serving in the Army.

Q3. How and when did you get introduced to books and reading?

A. My father was an avid reader and an excellent writer,  and I caught on to this habit from him, very early in my life.

Q4. Anything you'd like to share about the person who introduced you to books?

A. My father, Late Maj TK Poonnen had amazing diction and expression, and his  construction of sentences with inlaid humour was beyond comparison. He could communicate most effectively with a slew of words which would make most scramble for the dictionary.

Q5. Do you remember any incident related to reading that changed your reading habits?

A. An army officer has to read on varied subjects to clear different exams, and to be in complete know-how of various national and international events, diplomacy et al. Thus reading becomes integral to daily life.

I distinctly remember an incident when as a student of Class VII in St John's School, Meerut, I got admonished by my English teacher for wrongly answering the question about the author of the famous book - Joan of Arc. Instead of Sir Bernard Shaw, I wrote Edward Swift as the name of the author of that book (he was actually the Editor of the book)! 

A small event early in life, but this taught me a big lesson. Even today, I go through the biography of the author before starting to read any book.

Q6. Did your profession help you in developing a keen interest towards both - reading and writing?

A. As a part of Infantry, one has to have long tenures in field stations. With almost three fourths of my service spent in the field, my love for books was as much a compulsion as a passion.

Also, with several important qualifications acquired while in service, the habit to get into sustained studies and wide reading is now a second nature.

Q7. What role do books play in your life?

A. Both books and music are my lifeline. I am proud of my personal Book Library that has a huge collection of books of different genres.

As a reader, one not only learns and knows about perspectives of various authors, but also the nature and temperament of the author, and his own life story.

As an author, I get to project my personality and impress and influence the reader through my writings. With that in view, I prefer to write within norms of realism and desist from incredulous story telling.

Q8. Can you share any incident or event, involving reading or books, which is close to your heart?

A. As a Captain in the Indian Army, in 1982, I wrote a book review on a book describing Butch O’Hara. Our leader, Brigade Commander, Brig Narasimhan was extremely pleased with that, and I was pleasantly surprised to get a bottle of Scotch from his cellar as a gift from him.

Q9. With the rapid growth in technology, how do you see the future of books shaping up?

A. The Standard of Literature has seen a dip lately, and as a result the standards of English, as a language have also seen a perceptible drop. With the advent and availability of technology led apps, reading, as a habit, has taken a backseat. However, both parents and students do seem to realise that only softwares and gadgets are not enough to gain worldly knowledge. Spending time with books is worth more than simply spending time with the latest technology and gadgets. Hence I believe, books will continue to remain the mainstay and most authentic source for acquiring right knowledge.  

Q10. What would be your advice to young readers, and those who influence them?

A. My advice to young readers - " Time spent in meaningful reading is the biggest investment. Therefore read, read and read to be worldly wise."

My advice to those who influence young readers - " Never fail in your duty to impart the best of knowledge with those who can be influenced, for as they advance in age, they will only remember genuine mentors who imbibed and disseminated factual knowledge based on truth."

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RelayRead: Give Wings to Your Books!

Reading is a passion, and brings big relief to the heart and the mind. A book fires your imagination and teleports you into a different world. A good book helps you learn from others’ experiences, be it about your professional, personal or spiritual life.

While a lot of readers have started dabbling with digital forms of reading, it is also true that a big chunk of such readers have either come back to reading physical books, or they simply get to reading books in either formats. The publishing market only keeps growing in India, and new authors still queue up for publishers to take their scripts on. A study conducted by Nielsen in 2015 brought out an interesting fact that India is the 6th largest book market in the world, and the 2nd biggest publishing market for English books, only after the USA.

While there may be umpteen reasons for readership going up, what tops the list is the sheer love for reading books.

Reading a Pre-read book v/s a New One:

Readers have been known to be in deep love with their books, so much so that they store and stock books for any length of time. While doing that, little do we realize that by doing that we end up captivating the books in our personal libraries and trunks. The same books can actually do much more than just that, if let free. 

On the one hand, we end up spending steep amounts for buying a new book every time, and on the other, the book does not last beyond one read-run before adorning the book shelf. Does not a pre-read book have the same story to tell as a new one? Most students would agree that a book they get from their senior in school / college provides the same knowledge and insight as a new one from a bookstore would! 

Virginia Woolf says "Second-hand books are wild books, homeless books… and have a charm which the domesticated volumes of the library lack.”

Benefits of Reading a Pre-read book:

There are several benefits of reading second hand books:

Prolonging the life of a book: Books lose their value if they are read once and kept in the bookshelf after that. They gather dust, and the pages start turning pale, yellow, and rusty brown in a few months or years. The same book, potentially, would give joy to so many readers, if not restricted to a home. Students preparing for professional exams, do not find any use for the books that they used for their preparations. However the same book would be of a great help to the upcoming batch.

Balancing Act: You keep enjoying reading your favorite books without actually buying them out. Give and take of books allows you to utilize the same resources at other equally important avenues.

A different charm with used Books: Reading a book read by another reader tells much more than just the story in the book. Such books connect us with the earlier reader, in a unique way. 

It makes economic sense: Imagine buying a high price book for your exam medical preparation. What happens to that book once you are done with your examination?

Lean and smart lifestyle: In today’s world, renting a car or calling a cab is preferred by many vis-a-vis driving through the busy streets of a metropolis. With home sizes getting smaller, and homes getting costlier, stocking of books seems to hold little value.

Barters and exchanges work perfectly for books: Book sharing, barters and book exchange have always existed, albeit within smaller groups of close friends and reading clubs. 

RelayRead Lets You Read More!

RelayRead just takes book reading, and book sharing to the next level.

RelayRead is an attempt to help you and all the voracious readers like you to read, and read more. It is the first of its kind of an online platform - a library of people for people and by people. You can share your books, and in turn get books from other book-lovers like you, who are members of RelayRead.

St. Francis of Assisi said - 

“For it is in giving that we receive” 

It’s quite simple - you read your book, then pass it on to another book-lover like yourself. By doing so, you earn RelayPoints; these points can be used to order books of your choice from other members. And all this at just a fraction of the cost of buying a new book every time. 

Unlike the other book rental services available in your town, with RelayRead, you are under no stress or rush to finish a book in a week! You can read at your own pace, and once done, you can choose to either retain the book or to relay it to other users. Also, a new book would cost at least a few times more than reading a pre-loved one. And what’s even better is that you get connected with bibliophiles across the country, and you all help one another by sharing your beloved books. 

So start reading and relaying your books on! Join relayread.com and read more, real well and read wise!