Reading is that life-transforming flame that once lit can never be extinguished.
In a belated International Literacy Day celebration, The King’s School Discovery treated their learners to a day of theatrical delights. A performance by the animated thespians from Hooked On Books as well as a book sale and donation by Exclusive Books Clearwater got the creative juices flowing and hopefully brought on a life-long insatiable thirst for the written word.
The day was organised by Mariette Coetzer, one of the school’s educators and champion of the school’s library project. “Arranging the day was easy but getting them to love books, that is the difficult part. It is important to get kids to realise that they don’t need electricity or a device to be entertained, they can get it all through books,” said Mariette.
Hooked On Books is an engaging theatre-style production where actors pull a scene from a book to give children a sample of the story, ending on a cliffhanger to keep the imagination buzzing. The long-running non-profit organisation has been entertaining school children for decades, giving them that subconscious push over the edge of boredom into an inescapable world of mind-altering fun.
“It’s all about the books, no TV!” shout the three entertainers in unison. “With TV and the internet you are subject to someone else’s imagination, but with reading you are able to use you own imagination to transform the story,” said the educational actor, Gareth Meijsen. “We love being able to bring the books to life and see the children’s eyes light up,” said director and actress, Dineo Komane.
Exclusive Books has an established partnership with Hooked On Books, helping to promote reading among the youth. Chris de Kock, Store Manager at Exclusive Books Clearwater who has been assisting The King’s School Discovery in building their library brought another few boxes to add to the collection. “Literacy is everything, and keeping reading alive in the youth helps keep the book store alive,” said Chris.
Those who have already discovered the magic of reading will attest to its benefits and, like every good habit, the earlier it is developed the better. “Live revolves around reading. Every simple task you do requires literacy,” said Mariette, while revealing the secret to the unlocking the door: “If you don’t love reading, you just haven’t found the right book yet”.
