It's strange thing about mother and father. Even when their child is the dirtiest little animal you have ever seen, they still think that he or she is wonderful. But there are parents who are not interested in their children any way, and these of course are much worse.
Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood had and ordinary little boy, Michael, and a daughter, Matilda. But they were so busy with their unimportant business that they did not realize Matilda was clever-very clever
By the age of one and half, she could speak perfectly and knew as many word and was grown-up people. By the time she was three, Matilda could read newspapers. At the age for four, she could read fast and well.
'Daddy’, she said, ‘could you buy me a book? '
'A book?' he said. 'What's wrong with the TV? We've got a nice TV and now you come asking for a book! We're too good to you already, my girl'
Nearly every afternoon. Matilda stayed in the house while her brother (who was five years older than her) went to school, her father went to work and her mother went to the cinema.
One afternoon, Matilda walked to the library in the village. Mrs. Phelps, the woman at the library, was surprised to see small girl.
'Where are the children's book, please? ’ asked Matilda
Mrs. Phelps showed.' Shall I find you a nice one with lots of picture in it?' she said
'I'm sure I can find something’, said Matilda
After that, she walked down to the library every afternoon and sat quietly in a corner reading.
‘What can I read next?’ she asked Mrs. Phelps one day ‘I’ve finished all the children’s book.’
‘You mean you’ve looked at the picture’
‘Yes, but I’ve read the book, too’ said Matilda
Mrs. Phelps was very surprised. ‘How old are you, Matilda?’ she asked
‘Four years and three months’ answered Matilda
Mrs. Phelps was ever more surprised, but she was too sensible to show it. ‘What sort of book would you like to read next?’ she asked
‘A really good one’ said Matilda. ‘A famous one’
So Mrs. Phelps gave her Great Expectation by Charles Dickens, a very famous English writer. For the next few afternoons she watched Matilda in the corner with the book on her knees.
During the next six months, Matilda read fourteen ‘famous books’ by different writers, and Mrs. Phelps watched with surprise and excitement.
‘You can borrow books from libraries and take them home, Matilda’ she said one day. ‘Did you know?’
‘Can I?’ said Matilda. And after that, she visited the library once week to borrow new books and return the old once. And every afternoon she read. The books took her Africa with Ernest Hemingway, to India with Rudyard Kipling, and to many other wonderful places.