My love of books and reading is nothing short of intense, and is vital to my sanity. Curling up with a book is my escape, my adventure, my calm, my ‘me’ time. Some people watch TV at night; I’ve been known to sit cross legged in front of my bookshelf and gaze lovingly at the spines of my books, remembering the unique places they’ve taken me over the years. When I found out I was pregnant, the first thing I bought my unborn child was a book, and I regularly lost myself in visions of snuggling up for story time in bed or in a little nook.
The romance of reading has perhaps been slightly dulled by the reality of life as a mother, although I always find time to read at least something everyday. However, what has become very quickly apparent is that sharing a love of reading with your child creates a storage issue! Until now, my son’s vast collection of books have been stored in baskets around the house (so there’s always a book available to him), but as his speech and development has thrived, he really needs to be able to have his books kept in a way that encourages him to select the story he wants easily, rather than having to dig through a pile to find it!
I love the idea of a mini library for him; a way of displaying his books with the covers, rather than the spines, facing out, tempting him with their familiar pictures and colours. Here’s where the Kid Kraft 4 Pouch Sling Bookshelf stands apart from regular shelving. I chose the natural fabric for our shelf, figuring the books themselves will provide enough vibrancy, and could not be happier with the look. Clean, simple, stylish lines will suit any room décor (as will the option of bright, primary colour pouches or soft pastels). My one and only, and very likely a result of attempting to assemble the shelf at 11pm, qualm, was the tiny Allen key provided for screwing in the pieces. I dropped it many, many times and was thankful my son was sleeping soundly in our bed, and not in his playroom listening to me put his shelves together! My irritation subsided as soon as I’d finished the assembly; it was gorgeous.
The first week of its stay in our house, the bookshelf lived in my lounge room and housed my collection of magazines! When finally I moved them into my son’s freshly painted room, I decided to leave some books in our cube shelving, and select 12 to go into the pouches. This way, I can rotate the books to keep them fresh and interesting to him. Another fun thing I’ve done is move the bookshelf (it only weighs around 6kg) into our family room next to his tepee, so when he wakes in the morning, he’s greeted by a new selection of books to keep him occupied while I make coffee!
Encouraging a love of reading is a wonderful gift to give your child, so it pays to think also about how you present their books to them. Turn it into a magical experience, or introduce the element of surprise, and they’ll look to books to satisfy their search entertainment and imagination. The KidKraft 4 Pouch Sling Bookshelf is a simple, yet effective way to make finding and reading their books more accessible. At 2 years of age, I now get the joy of those daytime, night time, any time snuggles with my son as we escape into the magical world of children’s books.
Check out the full range of KidKraft 4 Pouch Sling Bookshelves here
WIN A KIDKRAFT 4 POUCH SLING BOOKSHELF!
**CONGRATULATIONS to Elaine Min Yen Wong whose name was drawn as the winner of this contest** Please contact us at: competitions@bebeonline.com.au to claim your prize!
We love that our bebe community are BIG on reading books to your little ones and are excited to be giving away a Kidkraft 4 Pouch Sling Bookshelf just in time for Christmas! Entering is easy;
1. Between now and next Sunday (Sunday 20/11/11) post a pic of your little one on our "bebeonline" facebook wall with their favourite book. If your little one is a baby (or still ïn the oven) , we will accept any and all photos !
2. One entry (photo) will be selected by random draw on Monday 21th November, 2011 and the winner announced right here on our blog in the space below. Good luck!
3. This competition is open to Australian residents only and is not redeemable for cash. If there are any questions regarding this competition please email us at competitions@bebeonline.com.au.
