Storytime for Kids

Today, just one day before the Three Magi arrive in town to deliver gifts for all children, I come to you with a present which can be as delightful as any toy can be: books.

Books have always been in my letter to the Three Magi and never has such a simple object given me so many hours of pleasure. People complain that books are expensive. However, if you consider the rate price/hours of enjoyment, I think reading is one of the cheapest ways of entertainment.

Reading a book can be a pleasure but it can be even more pleasurable if it is read to you by someone else. Who can resist the allure of being told a story? Life is made up of stories and stories are made up to make life more bearable. In THIS SECTION, you will find a compilation of some very good sites where children and teenagers can find classic and modern tales read by native speakers. Some are even accompanied by videos showing the book's illustrations. I think it can be a different way to approach reading while acquiring vocabulary and being exposed to a natural pronunciation and fluency.

As part of my wishes for the new year, I have also designed a new blog exclusively devoted to books (graded readers my students read in class) so that they can comment and share their thoughts after reading the suggested books. This is part of my personal interest in fostering reading in the classroom not merely as a compulsory activity but as a source of pleasure and a key to learning new things (after all this is the philosophy behind the "My Reading Passport" initiative).

In the future, and with a little time, I would like to incorporate some of the most attractive audio books and videos to a listening centre by using QR codes.