The best book for a child is not always the one an adult would choose.
While parents and teachers often focus on what children should be reading, Norfolk author Samantha Mattocks believes the most important thing is that they are reading at all.
“Reading is the greatest gift you can give to children,” she said. “It broadens the mind, it opens up new worlds, and it teaches them – from grammar to the world around them.
"And it literally can be reading anything: graphic novels, comic books, picture books, chapter books, novels. They all count, and they are all important in a child’s development.”
Samantha recently released The Kindness of Mister Mishkins, the third instalment in her illustrated Magical Mister Mishkins series.
The books centre on a ginger cat who runs a mysterious apothecary that can only be found by people who need help overcoming their fears and worries.
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The character was inspired by Samantha's own pet. The stories use magic, adventure and animals to explore experiences many children face while growing up.
“I think that the Magical Mister Mishkins books are ones I wish had been around when I was a child,” Samantha said. “As a child, you can experience enormous emotions, but you don’t always have the words for them.
"And I also think it can be frustrating when you are told by an adult not to worry. It can almost feel as though adults dismiss that child’s feelings and do not take them seriously.”
Across the series, different fears and worries are explored in a gentle and accessible way.
Stories can also help young readers make sense of the wider world around them.
“When put together, words and pictures can do something magical,” Samantha said. “While the words can take a child into a character’s thoughts, an illustration can show something that isn’t being said at all."
For parents and carers hoping to build confidence with reading, Samantha's advice is not to worry too much about reading levels, trends or expectations.
Instead, she encourages adults to let children follow their interests and choose books that appeal to them.
“Reading isn’t a test,” Samantha said. “Let your child choose books because they love the subject, the illustrations, or even just because the cover makes them want to pick the book up and find out more.”
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She added that children develop at different rates and that confidence can quickly disappear if they feel they are being judged for their reading choices.
That message feels particularly relevant at a time when screens compete for children's attention from an early age.
"We live in such a fast-paced world right now, with so many highly animated things to catch the attention," she said. "I hear of children going into schools and trying to swipe rather than turn the page."
Yet Samantha believes reading offers something that many forms of digital entertainment do not: the opportunity to slow down and focus.
“There is so much pleasure to be had in a book – not least as reading makes us slow down and focus on, quite literally, what’s in hand,” she said.
Samantha hopes children remember that there is no right or wrong way to become a reader.
“Find the story, the book, that makes you want to turn to the next page to find out what happens,” she said.
“It doesn’t have to be the same as everyone else is reading; it just has to be a book that inspires your curiosity and makes you want to know more.”
This article has been published as part of Born & Read in Norfolk – a year-long initiative highlighting the importance of reading and writing, delivered in partnership with the National Centre for Writing, headline sponsor RWE and sponsor YouGarden.
Follow the campaign throughout the year in our coverage and on social media using #BornAndRead2026 or get in touch at readingmatters@newsquest.co.uk
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