TinkerStories

Take Your Child to the Library Day is Saturday Feb 7, 2026. Find a library near you that is celebrating. This site has a map showing library activities near you!
https://takeyourchildtothelibrary.org/

"I taught myself to read, I’m not sure exactly when, as if it were something as natural as walking. I have often wondered whether the ability to read is built into our brains as a potential skill, or whether perhaps we inherit it from our ancestors who learned to read during their lives, in which instance I suspect it would only go a few generations back. In my case this ability was definitely to do with the fact that I was brought up among books – my dad ran the school library, and I dug around in them from early childhood. They weren’t books for children at all. One of my favourite early books was a collection of partisan songs. I knew how to sing them, so reading with understanding came to me naturally and easily. Among the hundreds of volumes eagerly borrowed by the pupils there were also art books and encyclopaedias. I can boldly say that encyclopaedias were my favourite literary genre throughout my childhood – my first “constellation” reading matter."

When did you learn to read?

Olga Tokarczuk tells us about how learning to read opened up a new world for her: https://bit.ly/3cQzHcB