A childhood full of learning

For children, I believe books are a magical door opening onto a wonderland. Many children do not have access to books at home, for various reasons, some of which are very difficult to address. My daughter has special needs and, at her birthday parties, I regularly gave her little friends books to take home, rather than wasteful party bags full of sweets and plastic toys. Many years later, I remember her head teacher telling me that, for quite a few of the children, the only books in the house were the ones we had given them. For children in poverty, whose access to books can be so limited, a library visit is a source of wonder. We were restricted, when I was little, to three books a week; 2 novels and one reference. I finished the novels within a day, usually, before relunctantly moving on to the reference book, but that last book taught me so much about life which I otherwise wouldn't have known. Our libraries are such a precious resource. Now at the other end of my life, I'm lucky to have access to computers and smart phones, but so many elderly people, especially the elderly poor, do not. For them, as life moves increasingly "online", even for doctors and dentists, the services our patient and well-informed librarians can offer are life-changing and essential. Please ensure that our libraries stay, open in real-time and accessible for all. Once they are gone, we will never get them back, and will be enormously the poorer for their loss. If you don't believe me, just ask Caitlin Moran!