Childrens Personalised Books

As I wait with baited breath for the next Harry Potter film I am reliving the first 5. However whilst I get much joy out of the films I can’t help turn into an old fossil and moan on and on about how much better the books are. But strike me down if I even whisper those scarring words to the Old man and the 11 yr old. “No way, Rubbish”, and words to that effect are cried out in simultaneous anguish, as they dive straight back into their 4th viewing of Dumb and Dumber, continuing to howl at the same jokes they’ve howled at the last 4 times.
So I got to thinking- “is it me”, am I the only one who thinks a film can never live up to a book?

Or am I just co-habiting with the wrong people?
Help me out please.

My 6 year old daughter’s class reading project is Horrid Henry and they were treated to a special visit by him in the school.

On the day of the visit the kids were so excited, worrying about if he was going to throw chairs or spit out chewing gum on the floor, I was more intrigued by what he’d look like- or would it be a she dressed up like a ‘he’. Would it be a costume- with full on prosthetics or just a geezer in a dishevelled shirt and shorts? Well as it turns out Horrid Henry had been extremely naughty and wasn’t allowed out by his Mum!!! 30 heartbroken kids and a mob of peed off teachers and parents struggled to contain the wave of emotion.
So as we whiled away the time reading with the kids and talking about their favourite ‘Horrid’ moments it struck me of the hug difference between the girls take on it and the boys.

The boys think he’s well cool- as he’s always in trouble, eats nothing but rubbish, hates schoolwork and is generally every parents’ nightmare teenager about 5 years too soon. The girls on the other hand see him as rude, disruptive and you certainly wouldn’t want him in your set of friends.

When one of the parents argued that Horrid Henry is a terrible book for children as it leads them down the wrong path and glorifies troublemakers- I argued that on the other hand it shows some children that the opposite of Henry is the right way to be and they then aspire to be everything he’s not- and as all the stories show- Henry always comes a cropper at the end!!

So is it that boys follow the leader- no matter where it takes them- and girls analyse everything and then decide which is the correct path- or just that boys like farty stinkbomb jokes???

My 6 yr old came home with the best book ever. ‘The nearly ghost baby’.

Yep sounds a bit weird and not really what you imagine a 6yr old reading, but hey each to their own, thought I.  She started reading it in the van on the way home from gymnastics- after we’d picked up the 11yr old enroute from table tennis (it’s a long story). Avoiding the smell of fish from the refrigerated back of the van (even longer story), we thought a distraction was in order.

The 11yr old began the huge long sigh before the first page had even been opened- yes it’s a male 11 yr old!!. As the 6 yr old- yes female- launched into the opening scene of a small seaside cottage where a tragedy occurred 100 years ago, he removed his hands from his ears, stopped humming and sat back to listen. 40 mins,( yes it’s a long drive home), 7 chapters and a lot of ooing and aahing later we arrived home and the book was finished.

Well what a revelation, the book was brilliant, the kids chatted about the story like they were life long friends and the 11 yr olds interest in books seemed to be re-ignited. That is until he came home the following day moaning he had to read Silas Marner for English- Oh well things are back to normal!!!

There are many reasons people buy a personalised book- the main one being seeing your child’s/friends/yourself’s name in print. Imagine seeing your faces as well- At saronti we take photos and place the heads on the story characters. See yourself ride an elephant in the circus, race on a donkey at the beach or smile with santa at christmas time. Seeing your face in a book has many benefits – very young children love to ‘people spot’, beginner and reluctant readers familiarise themselves with words quicker, and older readers don’t get bored of reading when there’s funny charcters known to them in the book illustrations.

A photo book is a personalised book with a real difference- guaranteed to tantalise even the most diehard non-reader.

A photo book is a great idea and makes a wonderful present for any child. Even better is a photo book with all the family in it. What present can you possibly get for the Grandparents who live down under and never get to see the whole family together. In a Saronti they’re all there- everyone in the family doing something amusing in any of the family titles. The perfect gift- small and light to send. A book with the whole families faces and names in is a wonderful gift for anyone. There is nothing else like it!

The first time we were asked to put a pet in our personalised family books we were a bit shocked. This soon disappeared when we started to put the pets heads on human bodies and laugh out loud. We began to realise that pets are a vital member of the family- especially for the children. The top pet request is for the family dog. However recently we did include Poppy the Pony! We even change the text to include the pet contributing to the story- nothing’s too much trouble at Saronti for our family personalised books.

So when you order your family personalised book don’t forget to include that all important family member- the pet!

Encouraging a love of books, which will grow into a love of reading is a vital part of parenting. A lot of children – and parents – become disillusioned by the uninteresting books they are presented with. How can we ask a child to enjoy a book about something they aren’t interested in? If they can’t read the words themselves and rely on parents/ siblings to express the story, the book also has to appeal to them. Many a time parents have tried desperately to finish a book which has awful illustrations, a rather long and winded story about a subject that has no beginning or end –just a lot of middle!! Trying to keep a 4 year olds interest is a near impossible feat. They want something new and lively, something that sparks their curiosity.

A childrens personalised books with names and faces of all the family has all of that- and more.Saronti books have warm illustrations, fun rhyming stories, and best of all contain friends and family as the main characters. The rhyming text is a firm favourite for both reader and listener. The younger children learn the rhymes very quickly, so becoming familiar with the words.

Kids can’t put it down and the adults and siblings argue over reading it as the bedtime book. Younger children look through the pages spotting faces, and talking about the story, so laying the foundations for that all important love of books. Reluctant readers don’t shy away from the task of reading these books. It’s a fun read, not something that becomes a chore.

A book revolution- I think so !

A lot of children – and parents – become disillusioned by the uninteresting books they are presented with. How can we ask a child to enjoy a book about something they aren’t interested in, if they can’t read the words themselves and rely on parents/ siblings to express the story? The book also has to appeal to them.

Many a time parents have tried desperately to finish a book which has awful illustrations, a rather long and winded story about a subject that has no appeal at all, trying to keep a 4 year olds interest. They want something new and interesting, something they want to find more about.

A Saronti book has all of that- and more. The school books have great illustrations, fun rhyming stories, and best of all is personalised with the whole class faces and names as the main characters (Saronti family collection features a whole family in the book). Kids can’t put it down, adults/ siblings argue over reading it as the bedtime book. Younger children look through the pages spotting faces, and eventually recognising names and words. Reluctant readers don’t shy away from the task of reading and enjoying books.

Ever started a book and realised half way though it that’s it’s not a fun read?

Rhyme can change that. It becomes infectious, a joy to read and something you want to do over and over again. All of Saronti’s books are written in rhyme. It uplifts the story, makes it a joy to listen to. Children learn rhymes at a very young age and with their own Saronti book, they will be able to anticipate the next word in the sentence, making those words recognisable- the first step to reading.

“Bedtime”, says a tired 4 yr old Boy,
who stands in his PJ’s holding his bedtime toy.

“read me a book”, he asks his Mum,
Who shudders and says, “b.b.b. but your books aren’t fun”!!!

She’s tried the one with the caterpillar who eats, and the one with the witch and the house made of sweets.

Halfway thorugh a book
that’s she’s already read.
Mum’s head starts to nod
as she slips down the bed.

The 4yr old boy wails,
“would somebody pleeeeze.
Finish a book,
as I can’t yet read”.

Dad says he’s busy,
Big brother’s playing a game.
Every book, every night
it’s always the same.

Then one day Mum hears
from a certain someone,
about Saronti
Who claim their books are fun!!!

“Yeah sure, right”,
Mum says disbelieving
Miracles don’t happen
at least not in the evening.

She checks out the website
that says faces and names,
are put in the book,
“mmm, that would explain”.

She says as she sends the family photos in for a personalised book called ‘Our Seaside outing’.

The next bedtime
the books arrived
Big Brothers reading
What a surprise.

Dad joins in
and laughs at his face
as the donkey runs off
at a terrifying pace.

There’s Grandma and Mum chasing after
their donkey’s going faster and faster.

As the story progresses,
more people join in
to read of their own family
Seaside outing.

So now bedtime’s sorted
the 4yr old’s pleased,
as at bedtime now
everyone wants to read.

As the 6yr olds asks “Mum, will you read me a story”, the heart beat quickens and the panic attack looms ever closer. As I wait nervously by the bed awaiting the inevitable- the boring bedtime book!!! It’s not so much that the story has no meaning, the illustrations look like they’ve been daubed on the book by an escaped slug . It’s the combination of the two, and the fact that the 6yr old is asleep before page 3 and I’m following on soon after. We’ve never got to the middle of the book , let alone the end. I was under the impression that a book should have a beginning a middle and an end. Some of the kids books nowadays seem to have rather too much middle!!

This bedtime ritual causes all sorts of problems, as no-one else wants to attempt the books. So I end up with the cricked neck from sleeping half on , half off a 3ft single divan.

However one day Auntie Sharon bought us a personalised book. Not any ordinary personalized book with the name and address of one child. This book had the whole family in it- names and faces- yes our faces were put on the book characters bodies. The story was about a trip to the seaside and what a trip it was!! The text was in really great rhyme and the things they had us doing in the book were hilarious. I mean seeing the old man on a donkey made my day- especially when it runs off with him!!

That night at bedtime the 6yr old had everyone fighting to read it. Not a miracle- well we couldn’t pay the teenager to read let alone read to his younger sibling- but this night he was first in line.

Now there’s no falling asleep , the problem we have now is that the 6yr old wants to read it again- and again- and again …….

Is there a moral to this story- if you want to encourage a love of books, which will lead to a love of reading- get a book that’s fun and interesting and includes the whole family, get a Saronti.

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