A pleasure reading to children

I was interested in your article on reading and libraries (December) as I am a voracious reader and a member of a local French library and of an English library that I discovered last year thanks to an article in the Connexion.
But I was surprised by the statistic that 76% of adults thought it important to read to children, to inspire them to read, as this is not borne out by my experience.

A while ago, I volunteered to help the national Lire et Faire Lire programme. I had expected to be listening to children reading aloud, to ensure, in a busy class, that every child got the chance to read and be heard.
How wrong I was! I read to groups of children, in French, for a couple of hours a week. There was only one other volunteer, a French national who had recently moved to the area and like me, didn't just want to mix with other pensioners.

The children range from about six to eight years old and it is rare in the extreme for any to mention being read to at home. In nearly three years, I remember it happening only once.

It has been very worthwhile. I go to the annual Kermesse to see “my” children performing and I have become very attached to the school.
Yes, at times the children are bored or naughty or seem shabbily dressed, making me want to look after them, but their excitement at my return after the holidays is a real morale booster.

Most realise I am not French but the high point was probably when a boy told me proudly he could count to five in English and asked me how far I could count up to!

So, if you love reading, and you miss your grandchildren, give it a go, make reading a part of children’s lives again.

Melanie BENNETT, Billio, Morbiha