The following story is all true and the magic books that you will read about really do exist. They were bought with your generous donations to the projects and events we have been running. We are desperate for your support at a time when it is difficult to organise any events that involve people meeting up in large numbers.
PLEASE SUPPORT THE SMALL INITIATIVES WE ORGANISE. THEY MAKE A DIFFERENCE! YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE: EVERY PENNY WE RAISE GOES TO SUPPORTING OUR CHILDREN.
Please read on…
Once upon a time, there was a little boy who hated reading. Every evening his mum pleaded with him to read at bedtime. Every week his teacher complained that he hadn’t read at home:
“Billy! Have you done your homework?” “No Miss, I couldn’t find any books!” “Billy! Are you reading up there?” “Not yet Mum, I’m just looking for a book!”
“Billy! Did you do any reading this week?” “No Miss, I tried but there were no stories I liked!”
Every night there was an excuse and every week at school there was one too.
It made Billy sad. Sometimes the letters in his books jumped around on the page. Sometimes the letters played tricks on him and made themselves into new words that didn’t make sense. Billy felt he was just not like the other children. He watched them in the playground bringing their reading books at break time. He saw their faces come alive as they read about stories of dinosaurs, fairies or secret sevens.
Billy didn’t know why his letters danced around; he just knew that this reading business wasn’t for him.
That was until the day he found the magic books…
Reluctantly, he picked up the magic book that his Mum had found for him and before he could make an excuse, he saw the brightly coloured pictures. They looked fun…Who knew whether these letters were wicked too and would run around changing the words as he read? He wanted to find out what was going on in the pictures though so he read the first sentence. The words were just right for him and he realised that the letters stayed still just long enough for him to understand the story. It was an adventure story. It was so exciting he read on…and on…and on. “Mum! I’ve finished the book!!!”
“Already?!” cried Mum.
“Yes! Can I have the next one? I need to find out what happens.”
Mum ran to school the next day and grabbed the next book. His teacher was delighted.
“Well done, Billy!” she cried. “I can give you some worksheets to do to help you stop those letters jumping around. They will help you to keep those letters still and will help you to follow the adventure. Do you want to try them?”
Billy reluctantly agreed and soon his reading had improved so much that he started to dream of all the other books he wanted to read. He excitedly made a list. When his music teacher taught him songs from a musical called Oliver Twist he ran home and asked his mum if he could read that book too…
Billy’s story is not over. But his world has suddenly opened up and he can read about ancient lands, footballing heroes and naughty schoolchildren…
Billy is not alone.
We could tell you about the story of Daisy who was too fidgety to read a book and couldn’t find anything she wanted to sit and read…until she too found the magic books … and enjoyed them so much that when she went shopping with her mum, she asked if she could buy her a book by Roald Dahl. Mum sighed and wondered where she was going to find time to do more reading. She bought the book anyway and, to her surprise, her little girl read the book herself! She danced into class to tell her teacher who gave her a Golden certificate for her amazing efforts!
There’s also Matthew, whose Mum had always struggled to make her son read. Once he discovered the books, she started to struggle to get him to put his books down!