Happy Word Book Day to all our readers!

Currach books has always strived to publish books that are different from the norm. We have previously published beautiful books that showcase the hidden magic of Ireland and it’s nature and culture; informative books that reveal the history of this tiny island and it’s inhabitants; and engaging books that take you down the streets of past and present Ireland with many a character for company.

One of the books we will publish this year has us all very excited! Lorraine Levis, an ex-bookseller and a children’s book expert and enthusiast, is debuting with us! This autumn, Once Upon a Reader will be released in all good book stores across Ireland, and online.

The book answers most questions parents struggle with – how to pass on their love of reading to their children in this day and age! Lorraine has teamed up with The Irish Times to publish a monthly column on the topic and here’s her first article:

How do I get my child to read books with more words and fewer pictures?

An interesting excerpt:

Growing up, our ability to read and engage with texts is something we are judged on and examined in with great scrutiny and for many this is the first step towards falling out of love with stories. I am not for a moment criticising our teachers and the amazing job they do but they are at the mercy of a curriculum which encourages set answers and “correct” thinking which is easily standardised and graded. And this can easily bleed into children’s lives outside school. You want them to excel and one way to do this is to encourage them to read widely and at a high level, thus broadening their vocabulary and introducing them to new concepts and ideas.

From a child’s point of view, a comic book or heavily illustrated book offers so much more than just a few moments of occupation and the sales figures back this up… Illustrated books are also a great confidence booster precisely because they are easily read and quickly finished. Getting though these books is less of a colossal task than facing a full page of small text and challenging prose. 

When a child finishes a book they love, they don’t see how challenging it was, they see that they finished it and all of the pride which comes with that. On the other hand, when they attempt a book which doesn’t engage them or that they find too challenging to finish, they will feel that strongly and you run the risk of turning them off trying again with something else.

Sounds interesting right? All very valid points! Stay tuned this autumn for Lorraine Levis’ Once Upon a Reader.