Reading aloud

Parents are encouraged to read to their children because it plants the seed of love for the written word but I'm going to have to confess it's hard pre five to get that excited reading out Spot goes to the Zoo.

But once they hit five and above you start to enter a magical world of Dragons, adventures and strange characters like Mr Gum.

Over the course of this year I've been reading books in the following series to the kids and can recommend them all.

Dinosaur Cove by Rex Stone
Two boys find a magic cave that leads them back to a forgotten land full of dinos. Each book concentrates on them discovering another part of the world they have found as well as meeting a new kind of dino.

Beast Quest by Adam Blade
A series of thirty odd books about the adventures of Tom and his friends as they try to fight the evil wizard and release the mythical beasts from the curse the black wizard has put them under.

You're a Bad Man Mr Gum by Andy Stanton
These book are crazy and the kids love them. Mr Gum is a horrible man who wants to crush fun wherever he can but Polly always seems to be on hand to save the day.