The children’s bedtime is even more of a pleasure than usual at the moment, as our bedtime story is E. Nesbitt’s “Five Children And It”.  As a child, although I read voraciously, I seemed to go straight from Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton to adult non-fiction (now my staple diet), somehow skipping over classics such as Nesbitt’s.  Luckily I hugely enjoy reading good quality writing aloud, so I am now able to enjoy them alongside  my children who, by being given the opportunity to appreciate great writing and story-telling early (probably before they are ready to read to such a level), will over time be inspired to explore more great literature on their own.  Which makes me realise how far I’ve come in trusting my own parenting wisdom since a comment a couple of years ago, from a well-meaning relative that I should immediately stop reading Roald Dahl’s “Charlie And The Chocolate Factory” to my 4 and 5 year olds – because I was “depriving them of the pleasure of reading it for themselves” – caused me several days’ guilt and self-questioning!