Priceless stories | World Book Day 2019

Ester Keuning Year 5 Teacher English Coordinator for Lower Prep

  UN World Book day, also known as World Book and Copyright Day, or International Day of the Book, is an annual event held on 23rd April and organised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to promote the importance of books and of reading in general. The theme for this year’s event was ‘Sharing a story’ and in Lower Prep, leading up to World Book Day, we challenged both parents and children to read together at home either before or after school, take a photo and share the experience with the class. Teachers then used these photos to create a door display that told its own story about the simple joy of parents enjoying good books with their children.   Throughout the day at the College, bells were rung in the corridors at random times to signal everyone to pick up their chosen book and read it for a few minutes, this included teachers and school leaders! Parents were also invited into class to read with the children, both in English and in their mother tongue for those with a different first language.   We also had the pleasure of a visit from Guy Bass, a UK author who introduced the children to his Stitch Head series, The Legend of the Frog and many more. By all accounts, his visit was a highlight of the day and an instant hit. “Guy is very funny, and I really enjoy reading his books. He is very good at acting.” – Lucie  “His imagination is amazing. I like his book ‘Teacher's Pet’ because I didn't know there was such a bad teacher in the world.” – Agnes  “He has fantastic stories in his mind. I enjoyed listening to his childhood story and the stories he has written.” - Suri    “The book he wrote is very funny. I think he is a great author and he showed us how to make a comic strip.” – Tayte  “Guy taught us how to use conflict in a story and why it is important to include it in our work.” –  Ian   And of course, as per our Wellington tradition, we all came dressed up in our favourite book characters. Hopefully you saw some of the excellent examples of the literary characters leaping off the page and coming to life in costume form!   World Book Day is an important event because it reminds us to always appreciate the priceless nature of the written word. Books of every style and genre are invaluable because they reveal our past and shape our future. So whether you are reading fact or fiction, a cracking good tale or a weighty piece of academia, always remember that time with a good book is invariably time well spent.