Authors explain why it’s important to get kids excited about reading books TheSunBooksForSchools
READING poetry can help to bridge the gap for children who might be struggling to read, says poet and actor Benjamin Zephaniah.goes some way to helping working class kids discover the joy of reading.Poet and actor Benjamin Zephaniah says The Sun’s Books For Schools campaign goes some way to helping working class kids discover the joy of readingBenjamin, 61, says: “Although I struggled to learn to read, I’ve always enjoyed stories.
After teaching himself to read, Benjamin started performing poems in public as a teenager before moving to London when he was 22.Today, he is a professor of poetry at Brunel University in London, has 18 honorary degrees and was offered an OBE in 2003 which he rejected.Although he got into trouble with the police as a youngster and served time in Borstal and prison, the writer was determined to turn his life around.
And if finding time to read or the act of reading itself is an issue, Benjamin believes that poetry could be the answer. “Although schools teach children to read, you don’t become a reader until you find escaping with a book enjoyable. Books offer nourishment, information and understanding.
“Because my mum loved the library, we loved the library. I felt very secure there and liked the fact that as I got older I could order any book I wanted and they’d get it for me. “Although she can read alone, I think sharing a story is important. When we’re reading together we read every other page aloud.
The author and illustrator believes being read to as a child is a big investment in their future — and he speaks from personal experience.Nick, the creator of Percy The Park Keeper and Q Pootle 5, says: “Reading well is a valuable life skill whether you’re a politician or a parent writing a shopping list.Nick Butterworth’s much- loved character Percy The Park Keeper is in The Sun’s Books For Schools box.
“But, though I found the mechanics difficult, I really loved stories. My parents read to me all the time and so did my gran. If I was ever bored my gran would say, ‘Come on, chuck, let’s have a story’.In Percy And The Rabbit, Percy’s cap, scarf and gloves go missing and end up being used by some mischievous mice to decorate a snowman“As I got older, Aesop’s Fables, Moby Dick, Alice In Wonderland and Kipling’s Just So Stories made an impact.
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