Reading slowly: A message for International Children’s Book Day

Red mud vil­lagers and book friends:
   
Every year, Inter­na­tion­al Chil­dren’s Book Day (April 2) and World Read­ing Day (April 23) always pro­vide a good rea­son for book lovers who love chil­dren to read hap­pi­ly with their chil­dren in a fes­tive mood.
   
Dur­ing this fes­tive sea­son, the entire Red Mud Book Club rec­om­mends a some­what uncon­ven­tion­al approach to read­ing: leisure­ly and leisure­ly. This includes leisure­ly book selec­tion and pur­chase, leisure­ly read­ing with chil­dren, and leisure­ly chat­ting about books with chil­dren or adults… It’s about liv­ing a leisure­ly life, like Ah Mo (Ah Mo’s Sick Day) or Ah Fu (Ah Fu the Field Mouse).
Red Mud Rec­om­mend­ed Spe­cial Top­ic: Chil­dren’s Books to Read Slow­ly
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Yes, we do live in an increas­ing­ly fast-paced era, with more and more “good” things mak­ing us dizzy. We seem hap­py to indulge in them count­less times a year, enjoy­ing the thrill of instant sales and the guilty ecsta­sy of being unable to cov­er our wal­lets in the dark night of desire…
   
But—and this but is very important—look at the chil­dren around you, prefer­ably qui­et­ly watch­ing them for at least a minute. You may dis­cov­er that the joy of life lies pre­cise­ly in that leisure­ly state. You will find that dis­counts and speed are not what chil­dren real­ly need. Chil­dren need things that can be enjoyed slow­ly with you.
   
If you do expe­ri­ence sim­i­lar find­ings, con­sid­er focus­ing more on read­ing with your child. Take a slow approach when choos­ing and pur­chas­ing books for your child, choos­ing them appro­pri­ate­ly and time­ly based on their spe­cif­ic cir­cum­stances. We believe there are no best books for chil­dren, only the most suit­able ones.
   
I sug­gest explor­ing Hong­ni­ba Vil­lage in suit­able weath­er (read­ers love rainy or snowy days, too), with a clear mind and a cheer­ful heart. If you need advice, call, chat on QQ, or, even more slow­ly, send an email. Just like chat­ting with a friend, dis­cuss your child’s read­ing progress and how to find the best books for you and your child. Chat­ting will help you feel more ground­ed; writ­ing will help you clar­i­fy your thoughts.
   
You may be as con­fused as the chameleon in “My Own Col­or”. It does­n’t mat­ter. Peo­ple with the same con­fu­sion often stay togeth­er and thus have their own col­ors.
   
I have to tell you that Red Mud is usu­al­ly closed on week­ends and hol­i­days. Our staff needs to rest, just like every­one else. How­ev­er, we often host out­door read­ing clubs on week­ends and orga­nize read­ing camps on farms dur­ing short hol­i­days. If you’re inter­est­ed, please bring your chil­dren to enjoy nature and the fun of books.
   
We are des­tined to live in a fast-paced world, so we must refuse to rush through our days. In the future, even idiots will be adept at using elec­tron­ic devices, so we need to simul­ta­ne­ous­ly teach our chil­dren more pow­er­ful abilities—the abil­i­ty to learn and live inde­pen­dent­ly of them. In a future where ever-increas­ing speed may become anoth­er kind of dis­as­ter, we need to help our chil­dren learn to slow down their pace on their own ini­tia­tive. We live in the present, while our chil­dren live even more in the future. A leisure­ly lifestyle may be a more cru­cial sur­vival skill, both now and in the future. Years from now, per­haps your great­est pride will be that you and your chil­dren grew up togeth­er at a leisure­ly pace.
   
Hong­ni­ba Vil­lage will soon be cel­e­brat­ing its 13th birth­day. It is still the same qui­et lit­tle vil­lage it once was. If you like this vil­lage, please come often.

Hap­py read­ing and hap­py grow­ing!
Red Mud Book Club
April 2, 2013

   
Hong­ni­ba Phone: 010–64934774 / 64934784
QQ: 78143036 Email: club@hongniba.com.cn
AttachedRed Mud Vil­lage Song》Add to the fun:
   
“On the oth­er side of the mountain/at the end of the clouds/there is a green field/there is a small village/in that small village/in that fairy­tale paradise/there are gold­en roofs/there are glow­ing red walls/and me and my close friend…” (lyrics by Inspec­tor Car­rot, music by Han Xu)