Book My Best Friend

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-ewgjdenhw

Everyday, millions of books are sold and given as a present for a birthday or
Christmas. Reading is a big passion for some people – we call them bookworms.

WE READ BOOKS:

when travelling to school or work
on holidays
during breaks at school
waiting at our GP

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Our first books used to be read to us by our parents or grandparents. They are called fairytales or stories, and they usually have more pictures than text.
They take children to the world of fantasy, and teach them to distinguish good from evil.
Famous fairytale writers: Hans Christian Andersen, Pavol Dobšinský

Popular fairytales: Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Hansel and Gretel

READING FICTION VERSUS NON-FICTION

NON-FICTION BOOKS

are books that are true
these books tell about real people, real places, and real events
they provide us information, here belong: textbooks, dictionaries, encyclopedias, biographies, self-help books, cookery books

FICTION BOOKS

are books that are not true
these books tell a story made up by the author
they are about not real people or events.

There are two types of fiction books:

poetry
prose: fairytale, novel, short story, legend, fable, drama, comedy, science fiction

Boys usually read adventure stories or science fiction. Girls prefer romantic
stories or novels. Adults like reading detective stories, historical novels or travel
books, or biographies.

BENEFITS OF READING

Books are our best teachers and give us answers to some questions. They are like a cure or therapy when you are sad or tired. A book can be one of your best friends.
Reading is escapism, to escape from reality is a pleasure for us these days.
Geography Books help us to learn about foreign countries and other continents. We can learn about their animals, plants, people and their habits and character.
When we read widely, we improve our vocabulary, spelling, and speaking skills so that we can express ourselves better.
Books also enrich our life and force us to think.
We get wisdom – the more we read the wiser we become, and we make better decisions in our life.
Reading trains our imagination. You can imagine your world.
We learn about good values because books help us make differences between good and bad things.
Books help us to understand others´ feelings and emotions, we boost empathy.
Fairy tales are essential for small children because they teach them to distinguish good from evil.

CRISIS OF READING

Books are more and more expensive, and people cannot afford to buy them.
People say that reading books is a time-consuming activity that takes a few days or weeks. Instead of reading books they prefer watching films because it takes just one or two hours and everything is ready for you on the screen.
Many people prefer looking up information on the Internet.
There is also discussion about e-books, printed books and, audiobooks.

E-BOOKS

PROS about e-books

Capacity – you can keep/ store thousands of books on one device
Portability – they are small and light so that you can take the books with you wherever you go
Free books – they are cheaper than paper books or for free
You can make words bigger – to enlarge them
It‘s comfortable – you don‘t need to go to the library or a bookshop to get a book.
Foreign language learning – you don‘t have to stop reading and stand up for a dictionary for a word you didn‘t understand. You click the word, and a window displays the definition of the word.

CONS about e-books

You need a special handheld device called an e-reader to read a book. It is quite expensive.
They may damage your eyesight if you don‘t use a high-quality e-reader.
E-Books require power. You have to recharge the battery in your e-reader.
Not all book formats are compatible with the reader. Every e-book reader allows different formats of text files to be read. Examples of format types are PDF, Word, HTML, etc.

PRINTED BOOKS

AmE – hardcover /BrE – hardback

AmE –softcover /BrE – paperback

They last forever are irreplaceable and timeless.
Many people like to hold them, touch the pages and smell them, even if it seems to be old-fashioned.
There is just one disadvantage – printed books take up a lot of space at home.

AUDIOBOOKS

are very useful and practical, especially for blind people or people with eye problems
help with time management – you can listen to the story when you are driving,cooking, relaxing
help in training our listening muscles so that you can become a better listener when it comes to conversations with your friends or teachers
make students better at pronunciation

WHERE TO GET A BOOK?

Books can be bought in a small specialised stone bookshop or a giant shopping centre. People can have a cup of tea or coffee there and sometimes see a new book presentation.
We can get a book via the Internet by purchasing it or downloading it for free.
Some people still borrow books from a library. Libraries store books, magazines, and newspapers. If you want to borrow a book, you will pay a small fee and get a library card. You also have to respect a lending period.

THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE

Every year, the Swedish Academy announces the Nobel Prize winners in literature.
Winning the Nobel Prize in literature is one of the highest honours for a writer.

Some of the Nobel Prize winners are: Ernest Hemingway for his book: The Old Man and
the Sea, John Steinbeck, Samuel Becket, Pablo Neruda.

MY FAVOURITE STORY – FABLE

Fable is a short story that teaches a lesson/ a moral.
AESOP Fable: ‘The Bear and Two Travellers’
Two travellers were strolling along a country road. They were going to the city because
they were looking for work. They were tired, and they were hungry. Suddenly, in the woods
in front of them, they saw a giant bear. The men were terrified. One of them ran away,
climbed a tree, and hid. The other man fell to the ground and pretended to be dead. The
bear came towards him. It bent down, sniffed him, and whispered something in his ear.
Then it wandered away. The other man came down from his tree and went to see how his
friend was. “The bear gave me some advice” said his friend. “He said, ‘Next time, go on a
journey with someone who won’t leave you at the first sign of danger.”

THE MORAL OF THIS STORY:
‘Choose your friend carefully.’ & ‘A friend in need is a friend indeed.’