ONCE upon a time there was a dad who made it his mission to get as many kids loving books as possible.
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Family man Paul Holmes has started his own YouTube channel to inspire more parents to turn the pages of their child's favourite books before bed.
Mr Holmes said reading stories with his sons was one of his favourite family traditions and a routine he'd love to see implemented in more households.
"It makes me sad to think kids don't get books read to them and how much of an affect that can have later in their education," Mr Holmes said.
And after his son's teacher told him how kids who don't have stories read to them struggle more in school, Mr Holmes went searching for a way he could help.
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"I was told kids that don't get read to, they don't really engage, they're not really attentive, and they don't really do all that well in high school and that made me upset."
The book lover underwent extensive research, where he found out that reading to kids helps with their confidence, language, conversation and numeracy, Mr Holmes said.
So to tackle the issue, 'Daddies Reading' was born.
The videos are filmed so kids watching can feel like they are right there listening along with Mr Holmes and his family.
"It's about helping kids hear books and helping parents understand the importance of reading books," Mr Holmes said.
"It's something fun, we'll stop and talk about it with the kids and ask questions."
As a regular visitor to the library, Mr Holmes chooses age appropriate stories that have the tick of approval from his kids.
While it's all about having fun, Mr Holmes said the channel was also a way to send an important message to dads to make time for their kids.
"The people I've spoken to have said it's really special that it's a dad doing it and not a mum," Mr Holmes said.
"It's family bonding time, and it's moments like that, that parents miss out on and dads miss out on specifically."
But for Mr Holmes the ultimate goal is for kids to no longer need his channel.
Instead, they'll be enjoying a story before bed and quality family time with their own parents.
"It just kills me to think that a parent will go 'here's a tablet, go read' while they kick back and watch the footy," he said.
"It's good to be involved with that sort of stuff with your kids.
"It's super special."
While it's just about reading books and making videos for now, Mr Holmes said one day he'd love to write children's books, to help share his passion for reading.
"The more people reading, the better the world."
'Daddies Reading' YouTube channel can be found at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWfrkXdelyibwrvZNMKaxwA
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