Getting children to brave brassicas

Broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage have been found to have a protective effect against developing the autoimmune form of diabetes in children, says your article (Study links bananas, oats and yoghurt to greater diabetes risk in susceptible children, 8 September). Every parent would love to know how they were induced to eat them.Harold MozleyYork
Your editorial on public libraries (8 September) notes that the poorest areas often suffer disproportionately when it comes to funding. As a bookseller, we introduced a scheme this summer whereby a child can choose a book, along with a token, and then swap them once read. This has proved successful and we hope to develop this in the run-up to Christmas.Rob and Kim Turnbull Reiver Reads, Carlisle market hall
Re your article (I chose to live at home as a university student. Here’s why I’d recommend it, 9 September), if students were to attend local universities and live at home, it might solve a lot of our housing problems. In Bath, large areas of family housing stock are now occupied by students for barely three-quarters of the year. Jane PaxtonBath
My mother grew up in a teetotal home in Edinburgh in the 1930s. When she was a teenager, a doctor recommended daily Guinness for her anaemia (Letters, 5 September). This was the only alcohol in the house and she hated it. In later life, she only drank wine.Tim ScottLondon
The hearts on 1970s pencil cases were usually pierced by an arrow, emphasising the direction of intent (Letters, 5 September). Liz Fuller London