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Do you think you can find 10 minutes in your day to do the one thing that is proven to not only boost academic performance, but also bring you closer as a family? Reading together. Just ten minutes.

In today's episode, we are talking about small rituals that will create big readers. It's a New Year and a great time for a reading reset. We share a practical plan to build a joyful reading culture at home in a screen‑heavy world, anchored by a ten‑minute read‑aloud that fits any day. From confidence gains to a school book swap, we show low‑pressure ways to make stories social, affordable, and fun.

• why reading for pleasure drives cognition, mental health and empathy
• designing low‑pressure rituals that make books the default
• the 10‑minute read‑aloud challenge and rewards
• early wins with pronunciation, confidence and classics
• flexible timing that survives busy schedules
• kids using apps to log, review and discover
• launching a budget‑friendly school book swap
• and lastly, cutting to our classic guide on home book club culture where we revisit Episode 11 (Season 1): Creating a Home Book Club Culture: No Homework Required to give you awesome tips for how you can incorporate reading in your home life this year.

A few links from this episode:

- Learn more about the RAR Read Aloud Challenge

Some websites I mention in the episode revisit:

Art for Kids Hub

Little School of Smiths

Tea, Tales, and Tomes blog

Find us on Instagram @teatalesandtomes and don't forget to join us next time for more bookish wonder.

Podcast music by Lundstroem (Episode 1 onwards) and Audionautix (TTAT Trailer). Podcast edited by Timothy Wiggill.

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The mic failed, the tea was hot, and the books were unforgettable. Come sit down with us as we reflect on a noisy 2025 and the stories that stayed: a Kyoto restaurant that recreates lost flavours to unlock memory, a graphic novel that treats young readers with uncommon respect, a middle grade marvel that made our whole family laugh and cry, a picture book that blooms like a botanical secret, and a nonfiction gem that turns lake lore into living curiosity.

Not every pick landed. We unpack why a widely recommended fantasy for children failed our suitability test and talk frankly about choosing books with care: age-appropriate, safe, respectful. Then we look ahead to 2026: kids discovering the Warriors series on their own terms, family drives with The Mysterious Benedict Society, and a small, thoughtful adult book club starting with Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine. Expect new segments, author conversations, and episodes that ask brave, necessary questions about how stories are made and how they shape us.

If these conversations light you up, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs a good read, and leave a review to help more bookish people find us. What was your standout read of 2025?

Find us on Instagram @teatalesandtomes and don't forget to join us next time for more bookish wonder.

Podcast music by Lundstroem (Episode 1 onwards) and Audionautix (TTAT Trailer). Podcast edited by Timothy Wiggill.

We'd love your feedback. Send us a message.

The shops are shouting buy more, but we’re making a different case: skip the shiny book junk and choose stories that actually get read. Come with me and walk through the holiday aisles together and call out the biggest traps - gimmicky bundles, flimsy movie tie-ins, lazy age-badged anthologies and swap them for books with staying power and more meaningful bookish gifts.

If you’re craving ease over excess, you’re in good company here.

A few things we touch on today:

• skipping gimmicky bundles that add plastic, not story
• steering clear of movie tie-ins and lazy anthologies
• smarter alternatives for middle grade and seasonal reads
• age-appropriate comics and graphic novels that land
• choosing engaging, well-designed nonfiction over coffee-table tomes
• why annuals and activity books are risky gifts unless you know the child
• ditching weak booklights for practical, lasting accessories
• tech picks that stretch budgets: subscriptions, audiobooks, headphones
• how to gift adults without awkward self-help misfires
• choosing a slower, calmer Christmas that puts people before purchases

Feel free to DM me on Instagram for recommendations because recommending books to you will be like giving me a gift this Christmas.

Find us on Instagram @teatalesandtomes and don't forget to join us next time for more bookish wonder.

Podcast music by Lundstroem (Episode 1 onwards) and Audionautix (TTAT Trailer). Podcast edited by Timothy Wiggill.

We'd love your feedback. Send us a message.

The season can sparkle and still feel heavy. Between perfect social media feeds, school concerts, late shopping and burnt biscuits, it’s easy to forget why we gather at all. We offer a simple reset: a bookish Advent calendar that replaces pressure with presence and turns December into a series of small, meaningful pauses.

We start with the heart of the tradition and why letting go of perfection creates space for real joy. Then we walk through five clear steps to build your own countdown and also share practical tips to keep it effortless. By the end, you’ll have a flexible plan that meets your pace and deepens your family rhythm.

If you’re ready to count down with stories instead of stress, press play, build your stack, and make the season yours. Subscribe for more bookish rituals, share this with a friend who needs a calmer December, and leave a review to help others find the show.

Find us on Instagram @teatalesandtomes and don't forget to join us next time for more bookish wonder.

Podcast music by Lundstroem (Episode 1 onwards) and Audionautix (TTAT Trailer). Podcast edited by Timothy Wiggill.

We'd love your feedback. Send us a message.

What if I told you that you don't need text to raise a reader? What if the most powerful reading practice for growing language, empathy, and imagination uses no words at all? In today's epsisode, we welcome a wave of new listeners, tip our mugs to the Halloween specials that sparked it, and then head straight into the quiet magic of wordless picture books... books in which your child’s voice becomes the narrator and every page turn invites a new possibility.

I will speak about the science of wordless books, share a personal story, get into the nitty-gritty of actually "reading" wordless books, and lastly share a list of the best tried and tested wordless books for all ages.

Ready to read the pictures and hear what your child has to say? Press play, save the book list from the blog or Instagram, and share this episode with a friend who loves stories. If this resonated, follow the show, leave a quick review, and tell us which wordless book you’ll start with. Your recommendations help our community grow.

Find us on Instagram @teatalesandtomes and don't forget to join us next time for more bookish wonder.

Podcast music by Lundstroem (Episode 1 onwards) and Audionautix (TTAT Trailer). Podcast edited by Timothy Wiggill.

We'd love your feedback. Send us a message.

I've been getting some flack about my obsession with all things spooky this season and I totally get why some of us steer clear of the scary, the unusual, or anything that might feel like we are going against our faiths and beliefs.

So today, I am diving into the science and soul of spooky season - how safe fear lights up the brain, teaches emotional regulation, and gives kids (and grown-ups) a surprising edge in real-life resilience. From South African springtime reflections to the glow of American Halloween lore, we share a personal journey that begins with a battered copy of Dracula and the sting of shame that followed, then turn that experience into a playbook for parents who want to keep curiosity intact without sacrificing sleep.

If you’re wondering how to navigate scary stories at home, we offer a clear, compassionate toolkit: pair fear with comfort (lights on, cocoa ready), guide rather than forbid, calibrate the “spice level,” and debrief after tough themes to turn shivers into skills. Match content to temperament, not nostalgia, and keep shame out of the room so curiosity can do its good work. By the end, you’ll see Halloween and haunted pages as cosy laboratories for courage and imagination and not moral tests... humane tools for making sense of the unknown.

If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who loves a cozy fright, and leave a quick review to help more bookish friends find us.

Find us on Instagram @teatalesandtomes and don't forget to join us next time for more bookish wonder.

Podcast music by Lundstroem (Episode 1 onwards) and Audionautix (TTAT Trailer). Podcast edited by Timothy Wiggill.

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Are you ready to join us for this Halloween literary special? This is your ultimate spooky season reading guide... but as with all things Tea, Tales, and Tomes, this is no ordinary episode. Come sit with us around our glowing campfire as we guide you through spooky books for readers of all ages, from gentle picture books to nightmare-inducing horror classics. We journey from campfire to haunted forest, exploring tales that flicker like lanterns in the darkness.

• Little Blue Truck's Halloween and There's a Monster in Your Book offer gentle frights for the tiniest trick-or-treaters
• Room on a Broom and The Quacken blend adventure with reassuring messages about friendship and overcoming fears
• There's a Ghost in This House and Gustav the Shy Ghost provide slightly spookier tales for young independent readers
• Middle-grade adventures like Jumanji, The Skull, and The House with a Clock in Its Walls deliver genuine chills while maintaining age-appropriate boundaries
• The Graveyard Book follows Nobody Owens, a boy raised by ghosts, in a tale both chilling and tender
• Teen and adult readers can explore Lockwood & Co., Dracula, Thornhill, and Maxwell Dark for genuine literary frights

May your nights be spooky, your books hauntingly good, and your heart always full of wonder. Happy Halloween!

The music and sound effects for this episode is ALL from Pixabay.

Find us on Instagram @teatalesandtomes and don't forget to join us next time for more bookish wonder.

Podcast music by Lundstroem (Episode 1 onwards) and Audionautix (TTAT Trailer). Podcast edited by Timothy Wiggill.

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What if we could teach our children to face life's challenges with resilience, courage, and self-belief? That's exactly what Durban author Shareez Bagaria is doing through her captivating children's book "Luna's Journey" - and she's living these principles herself in the most extraordinary way.

Nestled in her warm, inviting home on Women's Day in South Africa, Shareez shares the fascinating journey that led her from being a mother with a background in industrial psychology to becoming both a children's author and a mountain climber with her sights set on conquering the Seven Summits - the highest mountains on each continent.

Throughout our conversation, Shareez shares practical wisdom for parents about helping children develop emotional intelligence, handle bullying, and build internal strength through affirmations. She emphasizes the importance of modeling the behaviors we hope to see in our children: "We have to demonstrate that to them."

Join us for this inspiring discussion about motherhood, creativity, representation in children's literature, and the extraordinary heights we can reach when we believe in ourselves and take that next step forward – whether on a mountain or in everyday life.

Get in touch with Shareez by:

Following her on Instagram (@metamorphosis_life_coaching; @lunalearns_2309; and @shareezb). Luna Learns is available wherever good books are sold.

Find us on Instagram @teatalesandtomes and don't forget to join us next time for more bookish wonder.

Podcast music by Lundstroem (Episode 1 onwards) and Audionautix (TTAT Trailer). Podcast edited by Timothy Wiggill.