Event encourages children to love books

Children have been ­getting their noses stuck into good books to try to encourage them to become lifelong readers.

About 200 youngsters were taught the “excitement and importance” of reading at Victoria Park on Wednesday.

The Reading in the Park event was organized by the Bermuda Reading Association “to promote the love of literacy in our children”.

Youngsters went from one ‘story station’ to the next to hear their favourite stories being read out aloud. They got to hear tales such as The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Baby Bear Baby Bear, What Do You See?, Grandma Says Our Hair Has Flair, Silly Sally, My Nana and Me and I ­Already Know I Love You.

Those taking part included children from Creative Touch home preschool, Camp Greater and Happy Valley Childcare Centre.

The youngsters also got to play games, take part in action music songs, and try their hand at painting.

Winifred Nisbett, who has been involved in the Bermuda Reading Association for more than 20 years, admits to being a huge bookworm. The 79-year-old said she’d been reading all her life and “wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Mrs. Nisbett said: “Reading is key to living. You have to know how to read to understand signs, ­notices, menus, everything around us. To know what’s going on you also have to read the newspaper.

“We want to give ­children a better attitude to reading and encourage them to read more ­themselves.

“Even if they can’t afford books at home, we’d ­encourage children to use the library. We want our children to become lifelong readers.

“Reading is crucial and everyone should love doing it.”

Reading in the Park is an annual event, which will continue every Wednesday in July from 10am to ­midday. It’s a free-of-charge community event open to everyone.

In previous years the event was held in Par-la-Ville Park but it has moved to Victoria Park to “accommodate all the children”.

Walia Ming, the former president of the Bermuda Reading Association, said a child was never too young to start looking at books.

She said: “We want ­children to know that reading is fun, reading is ­exciting.

“We introduce books to them in a fun way so they don’t grow up thinking reading is a chore.

“The event is going really well. We’ve been ­inspired and encouraged and the children have had such a good time, they ­never want to leave.

“We’d encourage everyone to come out next week. Reading in the Park is getting bigger and better.”