I never thought I would hear Jasmine say these words. Sure enough this whole past week she has been begging for me to take her to the library. With work, school, after school activities and homework we had not been able to go.

This afternoon she asked again this time with a wonderfully eloquent explanation about how she has developed a new found love of books and reading and wants to “get into the habit” of going to the library every week.

So thrilled was I with this new development, that I abandoned my lunch, flung our coats on and literally ran with her all the way to the library down the road.

It was such a joy to watch her run her fingers along the dusty row of books, select a book (about mermaids of course) and take responsibility for showing her library card and getting the book stamped. All the way home she wanted to hold the book and look at the cover.

The reality is that the book that she chose is too difficult for her to read independently so I will need to read it to her chapter by chapter, but hey, that’s absolutely fine. For me this is a hugely symbolic shift – a shift in attitude. I am just delighted that we perhaps may be moving out of the “I hate reading” phase that we have been stuck in for so long, to a phase of cautious interest and a willingness to discover.

I’m not sure what magic spells the new school is casting however, whatever it is I hope it continues.