There are certain events that I know will test my self-control, and the Big Bad Wolf Book Sale is definitely one of them.
The massive book sale returns to Kuching next week, and I have already told myself that I will be sensible.
Whether that actually happens is another matter altogether.
There is something about walking between rows of books that online shopping simply cannot replicate.
You may arrive looking for one particular title and leave with something you had never heard of simply because the cover caught your attention.
Of course, there is also the familiar experience of going in intending to buy one book and somehow leaving with ten.
Beyond the temptation of discounted books, however, the return of Big Bad Wolf is also a timely reminder of something that I think is becoming increasingly important — keeping reading alive as a habit.
Children today are growing up surrounded by screens in a way many of us never experienced.
A phone or tablet can produce cartoons, songs, games and endless entertainment within seconds. Everything moves quickly and is designed to hold attention.
A book, by comparison, is remarkably simple. Nothing flashes or automatically moves.
You have to turn the page yourself. You have to look, listen, think and eventually imagine.
Perhaps that simplicity is precisely why reading remains such a healthy habit to nurture.
Reading is obviously important for language and vocabulary, particularly during childhood, but its benefits extend much further than learning new words.
Books encourage curiosity, concentration and imagination. A child can discover animals they have never seen, countries they have never visited and worlds that exist only because somebody imagined them.
More importantly, reading teaches children that entertainment does not always have to arrive instantly.
There is nothing inherently wrong with technology. Screens are part of modern life and will inevitably be part of our children’s lives too.
But perhaps that makes it even more important that books continue to have a place alongside them.
Reading should not begin only when a child enters school and suddenly has to learn because there are lessons, homework and examinations involved. Ideally, books should already feel familiar by then.
A mama friend recently asked me how I managed to get Rafael interested in reading, and I honestly did not have a particularly impressive answer. There was no strategy or special programme.
I only know that since his newborn days, I would read books with him. Obviously, a newborn has absolutely no idea what you are talking about.
I would show him pictures, read the words and talk about whatever happened to be on the page without expecting much in return. It was simply something we did.
Somehow, over time, it flourished. Books became familiar objects rather than something introduced later as an educational activity.
Now he picks them up himself, turns the pages, points at pictures and sometimes brings one over when he wants it read.
That experience has made me wonder whether encouraging reading is sometimes much simpler than we make it out to be.
Perhaps one of the most important things we can do is simply make books available. Put them somewhere children can reach, read with them, let them choose and allow them to look at the pictures without insisting on finishing every word on every page.
Most importantly, make reading something enjoyable rather than something they are forced to do.
The habit does not have to look perfect either, and it certainly does not in my house.
Rafael has destroyed so many books that I have genuinely lost count.
Pages have been pulled out, covers bent and corners chewed
Lift-the-flap books have suffered particularly badly because apparently every flap presents an irresistible opportunity to find out whether it can be detached.
Some books have undergone extensive surgery with tape.
I used to wince whenever another page was torn because I grew up being taught to take care of books.
Then I had a toddler and realised that perhaps a children’s book that looks thoroughly used is not necessarily a tragedy.
And this is where events such as Big Bad Wolf can play an important role.
Books are not always cheap, particularly imported children’s titles, and building even a modest home collection can become expensive.
A large discounted book sale makes that slightly easier. It also makes books exciting.
There is something different about allowing a child to wander among shelves and choose something for themselves. The book becomes their discovery rather than something an adult has decided they should read.
The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale will be held at Boulevard Shopping Mall from Aug 25 to Sept 6, from 10am to 10pm daily, with free admission.
Hopefully, by then, the weather — and particularly the haze — will be kinder to us.
I am hoping to bring Rafael along if conditions improve, although taking a one-year-old who loves books into a hall filled with thousands of them may prove interesting.
I suspect I will be looking at prices while he examines the durability of the merchandise.
But jokes aside, I hope more parents bring their children along too.
Reading habits do not have to look the same for everyone.
Some children will love stories. Others may prefer books about dinosaurs, vehicles, space, animals, science or how things work.
The important thing is that they discover there is pleasure in finding something out for themselves.
We live in a time when information has never been easier to access, yet sustained reading can sometimes feel increasingly difficult.
Even as adults, many of us recognise how easily we reach for our phones and begin scrolling without intending to.
Perhaps we cannot, and should not, shield children completely from screens.
What we can do is make sure screens are not the only interesting things within reach.
Put books there too. Read before bedtime. Visit a library or bookstore. Let children see adults reading and allow them to choose something simply because they like the cover.
And if a few pages get torn along the way, perhaps that is simply part of the process.
So when Big Bad Wolf arrives in Kuching next week, I will probably tell myself that we already have enough books. Our shelves certainly suggest that we do.
Then I will remember the ones currently being held together by tape and convince myself that replacements are necessary. At least this time I have a fairly good excuse.
If we want children to grow up loving books, perhaps the easiest place to begin is simply making sure there are books around for them to love.
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DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed here are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of Sarawak Tribune. The writer can be reached at sarahhafizahchandra@gmail.com.
