It has been a fun few weeks as I begin to receive some extra feedback about my children’s book ‘Danika and Yatimah from Egypt to the Outback’.
I love writing about children and horses and this got me thinking about what age parents should begin to read to their children?
After reading several articles I realised that to read aloud to children is vital for reading success.  The Partnership for Reading,
a project administered by The National Institute for Literacy state, “Reading aloud to children has been called the single most important activity for building the knowledge required for success in reading.”
So in honour of all the little readers out there I want to share some wonderful photographs of kids and their own special ‘Yatimah’s’! 

For our Tuesday ‘This is my Yatimah!’ we have adorable Amelia McDonald with her mother Kathi from Catrin Arabians Western Australia – top photograph –reading Danika and Yatimah together and the bottom photograph – up at the stables saying hello their beautiful Arabian mare Nahlia (Nazzai x Nahlanah).
Kathi McDonald was kind enough to sign my guest book. Thank you Kathi… “Just had to say that we received our copy of Danika and Yatimah – from Egypt to the Outback, yesterday and I wanted to thank you so much for such a delightful book!
I loved reading it myself, and look forward to enjoying it with my children, especially my daughter, as they grow up! Already we are enjoying it together as I read bits to them, and I can’t wait till they are old enough to read it themselves! I am sure the book will inspire many little girls (and the odd boy too!) to dream of their own Arabian horse friend like Yatimah! Just wonderful, thank you so much. Willa’s illustrations are just lovely and perfectly set off the book.”