‘Dad’s Billy Goats Gruff was second to none’
Zoë Ball is on a mission. The popular radio and TV presenter, currently hosting It Takes Two, Strictly Come Dancing’s daily weekday spin-off show, is, she says, first and foremost a mother. She lives in Hove with her DJ husband Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim, and their two children, Woody, 12 in December, and Nelly, three in January.
‘Disney did some research into how many parents read their children bedtime stories,’ says Zoë, 41, ‘and were quite surprised by what they discovered. Most parents, it seems, have neither the time, nor the energy, to read to their children.’ The situation is further complicated, of course, by the fact that a growing number of children spend too much time on social media.
‘But having stories read to you is such an important part of a child’s development,’ insists Zoë, ‘and such an intimate and enriching experience. Bedtime stories are important in our house. I was lucky because, after my parents split up when I was two, I went to live with my father, Johnny, and he’d tell me a bedtime story if he wasn’t away working. His Billy Goats Gruff was second to none. And he’d often read me Where The Wild Things Are, in a fantastic array of different voices.
‘It’s worth making the effort to cuddle up with your children for 10 minutes at the end of the day. I cherish those moments from my own childhood and it’s a tradition I wanted to carry on with my children.’
Zoë has always read to her son. ‘And I’ve saved a lot of his favourite books, which I am now starting to read to Nelly. His favourites were the Mr Gum books by Andy Stanton because they were so funny. In fact, Norman and I would fight over who was going to read the next chapter to him.
‘Ever since we took Woody to see War Horse, he’s reading Michael Morpurgo’s books but he doesn’t need us for that. They feed his imagination, so much so that he’s starting to write his own stories. Nelly, on the other hand, is going through a phase when she only wants Daddy to read to her. I recently bought Frog And Toad, which my dad used to read to me, but I think she finds them boring. I was so disappointed. Then I realised I had to put a bit more into it.’
Nelly’s favourite book at the moment is Good Little Wolf by Nadia Shireen. ‘It’s great because it’s got a shocking ending. Not that Nelly seems to mind. Children are sturdier than we give them credit for. Just think of Roald Dahl’s stories. I loved those when I was growing up. And I’ve always had real affection for Winnie-the-Pooh but half of that is because of the way my dad read the stories to me.
‘There’s something in each of the characters that’s a bit like all of us: stubborn, gloomy Eeyore, all-knowing Owl who doesn’t know much at all, hyperactive Tigger and the slightly daffy Pooh himself. And I love the wonderful world in which they live. Pooh Bridge is near where we live in Hove. Well, I don’t know if it’s the Pooh Bridge, but we throw in our Pooh sticks from there.
‘When Woody was five, six, seven, he went through a stage of not sleeping well at night so we’d let him listen to tapes of Alan Bennett reading Winniethe- Pooh. There’s something beautiful and timeless about them.’
Because of her current TV commitments, Zoë can’t always be at home to perform her bedtime reading duties. ‘But, if you’re lucky enough to be part of a couple, there’s no reason why one of you can’t find time to read a story. I’ll be engrossed at my computer and Norman will give me a nudge. He’s right. The computer can wait.’
As Woody heads towards his next birthday, he’s not too far off having the books his parents have been reading passed on to him. ‘I can remember my dad passing on Jeeves & Wooster or Agatha Christie,’ says Zoë, ‘which is why I watch Poirot and Miss Marple now to see if I can remember who did it. When I was about 17, he passed on Catch-22 and I couldn’t tear myself away. Now, our parents buy us books. They say we’ve got everything we need but you can never have too many new books in hardback.’
For Zoë, the name of the game is juggling. ‘I’ve got better at balancing the demands of home and work. And Norman and I are careful about the work we accept. He works throughout the summer with festivals and so on. Then, come autumn, it’s my time for Strictly through to Christmas. The minute I finish this year, he’ll be off to tour in Brazil. So we try and ensure one of us is always at home, although we have a great nanny and my mum lives two doors down.’
In short, then, plenty of bedtime storytellers…
Zoë Ball is working with Disney to launch the Winnie The Pooh Storytelling Academy, an online resource for parents and grandparents: www.disney.co.uk/winniethepooh/storytelling
‘Disney did some research into how many parents read their children bedtime stories,’ says Zoë, 41, ‘and were quite surprised by what they discovered. Most parents, it seems, have neither the time, nor the energy, to read to their children.’ The situation is further complicated, of course, by the fact that a growing number of children spend too much time on social media.
‘But having stories read to you is such an important part of a child’s development,’ insists Zoë, ‘and such an intimate and enriching experience. Bedtime stories are important in our house. I was lucky because, after my parents split up when I was two, I went to live with my father, Johnny, and he’d tell me a bedtime story if he wasn’t away working. His Billy Goats Gruff was second to none. And he’d often read me Where The Wild Things Are, in a fantastic array of different voices.
‘It’s worth making the effort to cuddle up with your children for 10 minutes at the end of the day. I cherish those moments from my own childhood and it’s a tradition I wanted to carry on with my children.’
Zoë has always read to her son. ‘And I’ve saved a lot of his favourite books, which I am now starting to read to Nelly. His favourites were the Mr Gum books by Andy Stanton because they were so funny. In fact, Norman and I would fight over who was going to read the next chapter to him.
‘Ever since we took Woody to see War Horse, he’s reading Michael Morpurgo’s books but he doesn’t need us for that. They feed his imagination, so much so that he’s starting to write his own stories. Nelly, on the other hand, is going through a phase when she only wants Daddy to read to her. I recently bought Frog And Toad, which my dad used to read to me, but I think she finds them boring. I was so disappointed. Then I realised I had to put a bit more into it.’
Nelly’s favourite book at the moment is Good Little Wolf by Nadia Shireen. ‘It’s great because it’s got a shocking ending. Not that Nelly seems to mind. Children are sturdier than we give them credit for. Just think of Roald Dahl’s stories. I loved those when I was growing up. And I’ve always had real affection for Winnie-the-Pooh but half of that is because of the way my dad read the stories to me.
‘There’s something in each of the characters that’s a bit like all of us: stubborn, gloomy Eeyore, all-knowing Owl who doesn’t know much at all, hyperactive Tigger and the slightly daffy Pooh himself. And I love the wonderful world in which they live. Pooh Bridge is near where we live in Hove. Well, I don’t know if it’s the Pooh Bridge, but we throw in our Pooh sticks from there.
‘When Woody was five, six, seven, he went through a stage of not sleeping well at night so we’d let him listen to tapes of Alan Bennett reading Winniethe- Pooh. There’s something beautiful and timeless about them.’
Because of her current TV commitments, Zoë can’t always be at home to perform her bedtime reading duties. ‘But, if you’re lucky enough to be part of a couple, there’s no reason why one of you can’t find time to read a story. I’ll be engrossed at my computer and Norman will give me a nudge. He’s right. The computer can wait.’
As Woody heads towards his next birthday, he’s not too far off having the books his parents have been reading passed on to him. ‘I can remember my dad passing on Jeeves & Wooster or Agatha Christie,’ says Zoë, ‘which is why I watch Poirot and Miss Marple now to see if I can remember who did it. When I was about 17, he passed on Catch-22 and I couldn’t tear myself away. Now, our parents buy us books. They say we’ve got everything we need but you can never have too many new books in hardback.’
For Zoë, the name of the game is juggling. ‘I’ve got better at balancing the demands of home and work. And Norman and I are careful about the work we accept. He works throughout the summer with festivals and so on. Then, come autumn, it’s my time for Strictly through to Christmas. The minute I finish this year, he’ll be off to tour in Brazil. So we try and ensure one of us is always at home, although we have a great nanny and my mum lives two doors down.’
In short, then, plenty of bedtime storytellers…
Zoë Ball is working with Disney to launch the Winnie The Pooh Storytelling Academy, an online resource for parents and grandparents: www.disney.co.uk/winniethepooh/storytelling