Encouraging our daughters to develop a love of reading has thankfully been quite easy for us; developing reading interests beyond "Princess Books" has been the big hurdle. You know the books I'm talking about here - the pink, the frilly, the 'life is sweet' type that sometimes offer a free tiara and the like.

 At an education conference this month, popular children's author Lauren Child said that "as a child she felt like a sponge, absorbing information from everywhere". Our daughters' preoccupation at a very young age with 'all things princess' left me wondering if they really were absorbing from "everywhere", or from just one genre?

I was always a firm believer in the principle that it didn't really matter what children were reading, just so long as they were reading. At parent- teacher interviews, I reassured parents that their child's blinkered preference for a specific genre or topic was nothing to worry about. We really should be grateful that children are showing an interest in reading at all. Now I'm not so sure.

Yes, we know that a high-interest level text can potentially motivate a child to read more challenging material, but surely limiting content to one area of interest is forgetting about educating the whole child in favour of developing reading skills? 

Learning needs to be broad and balanced. Children's reading should therefore reflect this balance, the reading genre should be wide and encompassing. But how do we achieve this? 

I realised that my own daughters' interest in Princess Books was fueled by their everyday belongings and play experiences. The Disney films, costumes, jigsaws - goodness, even their lunchboxes, all reinforced the appeal! It was our own fault that we had princess overkill.

So then we brainstormed other areas that brought our children enjoyment. Art. Santa :) Baking. Horses. Walking in the woods. We had it. Walking in the woods. Perfect.

There are so many wonderful picture books set in woodlands/ the forest. (Don't forget to include nonfiction in your wider reading!)

Relating real, first hand experiences to reading helps young children make a connection and creates what is known as a "book hook". Here you will find a specialist book list, published last month by the UK Literacy Trust, that features popular "books with hooks" for just this purpose. 

And here we have our first reading of Stick Man in a tree!

Of course, you don't have to go to this length to generate a connection with a new topic for reading! However, using a little imagination to bring a book to life makes sharing a story memorable, meaningful and tangible. How do you help your children hook up with books?