They say it takes a village to raise a child – but what about a reader? When three women came together to find and share quality children's books with other mothers and parents, they soon found they weren't alone in their mission.
What began as a Facebook community run by teacher-librarian Megan Daley and author Allison Tait in 2017 quickly grew, helping parents find books to interest their kids.
Inviting author Allison Rushby to join, Your Kid's Next Read now has amassed a following of over 38,000, the 200th episode in a popular podcast series, and a movement aimed at growing young readers and writers.
As mothers, Daley, Tait and Rushby have had to adapt with kids who are not naturally interested in books. With Mother's Day approaching, the team of multi-talented working mothers and creatives reflect on their upbringings and experiences as mums today.
"People often assume that my children are both huge readers, but the truth is I've had to be very creative when it comes to accessing books that interest them," says Rushby.
"My younger son would always rather run than read," agrees Tait. "He has a fine, questioning mind and so we try to encourage a balance between doing and being – and finding books that would fill that gap for him and encourage him to sit for a while."
In integrating a love of books and reading in their children, the team share the ways that they use story to raise their children in understanding the world better.
"Bedtime books have been an incredibly important part of me forming relationships and a gateway into conversations," Daley says, books offering insight into "families, love, grief and all of the things in between."
Daley says she feels "incredibly fortunate to be the daughter of a teacher-librarian; there is something magical about having a school library as your second home.
Allison Rushby's mother (Pamela Rushby) is also a published author, with Allison even being given the middle name Jane, "after Jane Austen, no pressure!"
"[Mum] was wise enough to encourage me to write what I wanted to write," Rushby continues. "I'm very grateful that my mum didn't push me to write things that weren't in my nature as it's probably the worst thing you could do to your developing voice.
Thanks to loving encouragement from her mother, Tait developed her own bright writing style.
"I think I am the voracious reader that I am and have always been because of my Mum," says Tait. "And then that led me to wonder one day if I could write a book…"
Rest assured their families are never far from books. With creativity and reading leading the way, these mums have forged strong connections as working parents encouraging the joy of reading in their kids, no matter the circumstances.
"I think one of the best things we can do for our kids when it comes to their dreams and passions, particularly as they get older, is to simply not get in their way," Tait says.
"There is an old saying that parents are 'only as happy as their unhappiest child', so if things are going well for our kids then we feel at peace as well."
"My daughter has a comprehension disorder and so we have always surrounded ourselves with graphic novels to interest her," Rushby shares.
"And my son prefers footballs to books, so for some time I was an expert on any and all books about sport.
"Like all mums," says Daley, "the guilt for me is real about the things I feel I don't do well with my four kids, but I feel pretty certain that I've nurtured curiosity, creativity and a love of story in all forms with my kids."
Key Facts:
When three women came together to find and share quality children's books with other mothers and parents, they soon found they weren't alone in their mission.
As mothers, Daley, Tait and Rushby have had to adapt with kids who are not naturally interested in books. With Mother's Day approaching, the team of multi-talented working mothers and creatives reflect on their upbringings and experiences as mums today.
