Storytime with Bump

After just a little bit of 'convincing' on my part, Al has started reading one of his favourite childhood books to Bubba. Like me, Al enjoyed the works of Roald Dahl and his favourite (or maybe just the only one he actually read all the way through?) was Fantastic Mr Fox.
I have read a lot of research about reading and playing music to babies 'in utero' and have come to the conclusion that if they can hear us (which they can) then it can't hurt to start encouraging them with these creative forms of expression now.

I joke with Al that the baby will know Ray Warren's voice (NRL commentator) better than his own if he doesn't read to the baby now. I do jest, but I know Al will thank me when he sees Bubba for the first time and they recognise his voice.

Also, I know that one of my most treasured childhood memories is of Dad reading to me before bedtime. Ast and I would get into our pyjamas and then wait in eager anticipation for Dad to continue on with the adventures we had been enthralled by the night before. The characters of Kenneth Graham, EB White, JRR Tolkien and Roald Dahl came to life in my bedroom night after night.

Ast and I were so attached to this bedtime ritual that we were devastated if there was no bedtime story. It was the ultimate punishment in our household to be sent to bed without our story.

Apparently, or so I’ve been told, Dad was the preferred bedtime narrator as Mum’s “voices” just weren’t as good as Dad’s. If Dad was tired sometimes he forgot to read in character but he was soon reminded by Ast and I chanting “do the voices Dad, do the voices!”. Dad had the most animated voice when he told stories. Each character had an individual personality and a voice to go with it. It’s a pity that animated films were not as popular in the early 1980’s as they are now because my father would have made an excellent character voice.


Now if I could just get Al to do the "voices".......