Richard and Judy launching a children’s book club

I never watched Richard and Judy – frankly I can’t stand that kind of daytime TV, like I can’t stand reality TV shows (sorry, I’m sure plenty of you do and that’s fine, but I can’t watch any of it without cringing). But… I loved their book club and enjoyed every one of their choices that I read. I had wondered what had happened to the book club, since their show finished, but it seems to have gone to WH Smith, which is fine and quite appropriate (though now I’ve discovered that, I’m going to have to order a whole bunch of books!). What they did for reading (like Oprah did in the US), though, was stunning, really. So many people were picking up books (and reading and enjoying them), when they hadn’t read anything in years. Which can really only be a good thing. I have always got so much enjoyment out of books and reading that I find it difficult to imagine how anyone can survive without devouring books as well.

And now they’re launching a children’s book club, which will hopefully do similar things for children’s reading. There are three categories, Fluent Reader, Reading by Yourself and Reading Together, so you can pick and choose from the different levels and types of book. I’m especially interested to see this, as we love to discover new books for Rosemary. Finding good books to read to her at bedtime can be a struggle, and it’s nice to find something that will make a change from Horrid Henry and Rainbow Magic Fairies! And finding good read-it-yourself books will be really handy, too, now she’s embarking on her journey into the literary world.

Where do you discover new books? What about your children – do they share books with their friends? Do you get lots of books out from the library? Do you have any books you want to recommend at the moment (for me, Chris or the girls)?