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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Comment
Arwa Mahdawi

What have I learned from my child’s bedtime stories? Celebrities should stop writing them

A 0ne-year-old boy with his mum at (Posed by models)
We read our kids books to develop their passion for literature. Photograph: Catherine Delahaye/Getty Images (Posed by models)

Are you sitting comfortably? Then we’ll begin. Once upon a time there was a harried new parent (me, I’m talking about me) who sat down and read her baby a book. Then she read the baby another book and then she read the baby another book etc, etc. That’s what you’re supposed to do when you have a kid, isn’t it? You read them books so they can develop a passion for literature and grow up to have an impecunious future in the arts.

As far as I can tell, my 10-month-old hasn’t developed a passion for literature yet. Unless you count putting books in her mouth, squealing, and then throwing them across the room as a “passion”. But I’ve certainly learned a lot from all this new reading material. And, because sharing is caring (a big theme in kids’ books), I’m going to share these learnings with you.

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