Giving the gift of reading
MY MOTHER read copiously to me as a child and I realise now, as an author of picture books, that this activity instilled in me a love of language and narrative.
As author Eudora Welty said: “Long before I wrote stories, I listened for stories”.
These stories offered me valuable bonding time with my mother and gave me insight into the nature of man.
For example, Hans Christian Anderson’s Brave Tin Soldier, who, unlike 24 others, only had one leg because there was little tin left when he was crafted.
This tale showed how he coped optimistically, despite his handicap, but it also evoked compassion in me for those whom I’d later meet who were disadvantaged in life.
My African languages studies opened the oral tradition to me and fairytales of my youth were replaced with fascinating folktales from all over Africa.
Acclaimed author Margaret Attwood said: “I read for pleasure and that is the moment I learn the most”.
Sound literacy skills, acquired mostly by reading, are said to be a prerequisite for future academic success, but how many South African children are encouraged to read at home? How many South African homes are littered with books?
If children emulate others, how many people do they find at home with a passion for reading books, magazines and newspapers?
How many parents give books as gifts to their children, which can be re-read until they are passed on to siblings or they fall apart?
Parents can set good examples by taking out library books or going to a bookshop when in a shopping mall, offering children the opportunity to browse the shelves and choose a book. I’m a believer in shared reading. If a beginner reader reads one page, followed by their parent reading another, it instils reading confidence in the child. Children and parents can read cereal boxes together at breakfast and road signs and billboards on the way to school. Long journeys can be made more interesting using audio books and family members creating stories. Stewart is the author of Lyle the Crocodile, one of R250 000 worth of books the Nal’ibali campaign is giving to over 20 000 children in its network this World Book Day. Nal’ibali is calling on the support of the public to increase the number of books per child by donating new or gently used books at public read-alouds. For more information about the read-alouds, the Nal’ibali campaign, or to access children’s stories in a range of SA languages, visit: www.nalibali.org.