There’s never been a better time to catch up on your reading and escape into the pages of a wonderful book. Reading is a great way to make the most of your time inside and expand your mind. On International Kids’ Book Day we wanted to share a list of recommended books which young and old will love and some ideas of where to find them.
Enjoy Kids’ Classics new and old
As it’s International Kids’ Book Day, we’re starting with a list of our favourites from Time’s 100 best children’s books of all time. Many of these you will remember from your childhood, others will be new discoveries for both you and your kids, but all offer a wonderful place to escape and enjoy.
- Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak
- The Chronicles of Narnia (series), C.S. Lewis
- Charlotte’s Web, E.B. White
- Matilda, Roald Dahl
- The Story of Ferdinand, Munro Leaf
- The Lorax, Dr Seuss
- A Bear Called Paddington, Michael Bond
- Winnie-the-Pooh, A.A. Milnes
- The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Beatrix Potter
- Harry Potter (series), JK Rowling
During the time where we are #stayingathome, the literary world is helping parents and kids to keep busy and enjoy reading. Publishers such as Harper Collins are releasing great resources for kids to enjoy at home, authors including David Walliams are reading their stories aloud on their social media channels to help kids enjoy stories every day and Audible have made hundreds of their audiobooks for kids free to access during the next month, so there’s no excuse for your kids not to dive into literature while they are off school.
Cross some classics off your bucket list
What better use of the lockdown than to delve into the list of classic, famous works of literature that have stood the test of time? Here are some of our favourites to help you on your journey of discovery –
- Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
- 1984, George Orwell
- The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
- Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
- To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
- One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
- Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
- Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
- Lord of the Flies, William Golding
- Don Quijote, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Cheer yourself up
One of the best things about reading is escapism, and right now when many people are feeling anxious and worried, a book can be therapy, escapism and a great way to make you feel happier. If that sounds like the perfect combination, we’d recommend turning to these ten feel good reads for comfort, from Bookriot’s list of 29 books that make you happy.
- Eleanore Oliphant is Completely Fine – Gail Honeyman
- An American Marriage – Tayari Jones
- No One Can Pronounce My Name – Rakesh Satyal
- The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupery
- The Keeper of Lost Things – Ruth Hogan
- The Art of Happiness – The Dalai Lama Xiv
- Not a Self Help Book: Misadventures Of Marty Wu – Yi Shun Lai
- Tao Te Ching – Lao Tzu
- The Little Book of Love – Kahlil Gibran
- A Field Guide to Getting Lost – Rebecca Solnit
There are many places which have allowed you to download books free of charge during the time we have to #stayathome, these include Amazon, Wikisource, Spain’s National Library, Project Gutenberg and Europeana. So browse the options, check out recommendations and find yourself your next good read to make you feel happier.
Try an audiobook
Audiobooks are a great way to enjoy books, without having to actually read them. This means you can enjoy literature while you clean the house or exercise and they can be a great way to relax before bed, or if you’re struggling to sleep. Audible made hundreds of kids’ audiobooks free to download while schools are closed, and you will find classic works of fiction and non-fiction available for free via Project Gutenberg and LibriVox, Spotify and Digital Book.
Escape into the pages of a magazine
Sometimes it can be hard to focus on a book, but you need something quick, interesting and easy to digest, and that’s where magazines come in. They are perfect for a quick flick through with your morning coffee or while the kids are working on their homework. But don’t worry if you can’t get to the shops, you can read them online!
Hearst España have made their best-selling magazines free to read online, so you can enjoy 10 Minutos, Harpers Bazaar, Esquire, QMD, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Mi casa and more totally free of charge. You can also use websites such as FliPhtml5.COM, allyoucanread.com and issuu.com to browse magazines and enjoy them online. Alternatively head over to your favourite magazine’s website and check out their online edition. If you want to find out more about Sotogrande and the wonderful area of the Costa del Sol, we’d recommend La Revista de Sotogrande, Essential Magazine and Society Magazine, which are all available on issuu.com.
We hope this run down of reading materials will help you to find that next great book to enjoy. Let us know what recommendations you’d add to this list!
