It is our abiding passion to encourage and promote the love of books, particularly engaging with children and how they see the world.
We want to inspire children and adults alike to start writing and drawing for themselves, to inspire a culture of “I can.” Our stories for 5-8 yr olds featuring Frog the Dog bring stories of friendship, acceptance of others as they are, and the everyday experience of small but favourite things being important. We want to inspire our readers to see the extra-ordinary in the ordinary, to have fun exploring their world.
We love to hook the unwilling or reluctant reader as well as the bookworm into treasuring books, which will grow into a lifelong passion for reading. We love passing on the flame; the Reading Hero campaign is about igniting the first spark.
Something to think about:
What if we could change the world by spending just 10 minutes every day doing something useful?
What if we could give our children the very best start, not only for their school life, but for the rest of their life?
What if we could change social attitudes and behaviour for the better by having fun with our kids?
Wouldn’t we want to do all this if it were in our power?
Of course we would. And of course, it is.
Changing the world, changing lives and changing attitudes starts at ground level. Effecting change by example starts with the smallest and most impressionable members of our society, our children.
To reach the children, we need to help the parents.
So how can we help parents effect this change that will benefit children and by extension, society?
By being Reading Heroes ourselves.
By showing parents how to be Reading Heroes to their kids.
By spreading the word.
By simply reading a bedtime story every night to our children.
Be a Reading Hero!
Be a Bedtime Reading Hero!
Hi Everyone, it’s me, Frog the Bedtime Reading Hero Dog!
I LOVE books! I listen to a bedtime story every day. It isn’t hard, and it doesn’t take long!
If you take ten minutes a day to do some reading with your child, you can help them to do better at school, and to do better in life.
Isn’t that FROGTASTIC?? It’s true!It really IS easy, and I’ll show you how!
Top tips from the cartoon canine :-
Decide to set aside ten minutes EVERY night to read a bedtime story to your child. Several children can share a bedtime story, and take turns choosing what to have each night.
Even when they can read by themselves, it’s good for children to listen to stories and helps them to wind down quietly ready for sleep.
A regular routine at bedtime helps children to know it’s time for sleep – including a bedtime story should be as automatic as putting on your pyjamas and brushing your teeth!
Don’t rush the reading – if you are not used to reading out loud, try speaking a little more slowly than you usually do. You don’t have to use different voices if you are not good at that, but do try to make it interesting, so you all enjoy it.
Choose stories that you know well to practice putting emphasis on certain words. It’s hard to read out loud if you don’t know what’s coming next!
Let your child have fun with books – allow them to choose books that you might think are too young, especially for bedtime, as children love repetition and to know what’s coming next. Also, it’s comforting to be able to read a book easily!
Do YOU always choose the most demanding book on the shelf?
You might want to limit the selection of books for bedtimes, so you are not stuck reading the longest book in the world when you are all tired at the end of the day.
It’s perfectly reasonable to put aside books that are good for bedtimes. Or for longer books for older children, just read a chapter or two depending on the length.
The best way is to agree beforehand what the rules are! You might decide that discussing books is only for daytime reading, and that bedtime stories are just for listening, but make sure you DO have daytime reading discussions – it’s really important!
As well as quiet bedtime stories, it’s also very important to have reading times when you have time to talk about the book. Don’t be afraid to talk about the story – to help get your kids involved, ask questions like “Why did she/he say that?” or “How did he/she feel when that happened?” or What do you think will happen next?” or “Why is she doing that?” or “What can we see in this picture?”
Sharing a story together is a great way to end the day with your children.
Switch off the TV /DVD/PC. Get comfy, cuddle up and share some real quality time together. It’s the best ten minutes you will ever spend, and you get to do it all over again tomorrow! Frogtastic!