Birmingham mother invests in new online bookshop for kids

A BIRMINGHAM mother has launched a new business aimed at encouraging children to read.

Naida Bano, a mother-of-two from Moseley, has set up a new online bookshop created especially for children.

Naida, a former professional librarian and now full-time mother, started the business after speaking to other parents and realising there was a lack of easy to use and interactive web book shops specialising in children books.

After a £40,000 investment, she and her husband have created www.likeabook.co.uk, which lists over 200,000 titles and very soon around 80,000 e-books.

Using her librarian background to the full, Likeabook.co.uk is not just a list of books. Instead it has been designed to make it easy for parents to understand what books are best for their children dependent upon their age, confidence or ability to make sure they enjoy reading and are not put off by something to easy or too advanced.  
Categories are not just as per the school years (KS1, KS2 etc) which can be confusing, but also in easy to follow levels and groups.
 
Naida, who worked at the Matthew Boulton College as Resource Manager and the Learning and Skills Council Research Office, said: “Helping a child to read and seeing them progress can be a rewarding process but it can also be full of trials along the way. Some children may be unsure about venturing outside of the books they see at school whilst others relish a challenge, and with so many books out there it can be hard as a parent to know where to start or where to pitch reading levels.

“Being parents ourselves we understand the need to create a lively website that allows parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents to browse at ease and enjoy the experience with your child without their own pressures and not understanding what to buy.

“Many of us want to be a part of our children’s adventures, studies and lasting memories. Reading and writing are such fundamental skills that will help children get more out of life.”