ALTHOUGH World Read Aloud Day (WRAD) observed on Wednesday, February 2, was intended for parents to read aloud to their young, a 9-year-old boy decided to make his own story and book.
Amohelang Zondi, a Grade 3 learner at Montclair Junior Primary School, seized the opportunity to show off his all-around creativity. He made his own book to read aloud to his class to commemorate the day, much to his teacher’s delight.
“My mom encouraged me to make a book because I like drawing. I was inspired by her to make my first book. After I made it, I hoped to make money to help people who are sick and who do not have money to go to the hospital.
“And to get clothes and food for children who don’t have any. When I grow up, I would love to be an author. I love telling stories. My first book is called In the Treehouse,” said the youngster.
In the book, the protagonist brothers, Ben and Sam, go into their treehouse after school only to find the door open. They go back and forth about whose responsibility it was to have locked the door. The pair eventually devise a plan to keep the door locked when they are not in the treehouse.
In his second offering titled, Hiking in The Backyard, the budding author takes the same protagonists onto an adventure right outside their backyard.
“I spent a lot of time with my younger sister making this book. When we had finished making it, I told her the story and she loved it very much,” he said.
The school’s librarian, Rozelle Munien, said she has read the book to other learners who enjoyed the story just as much.
“The book is complete with a cover, story and pictures. All done by Amohelang. This is a superb example of an imagination inspired, how we can change the world and go on adventures in our backyards. We hope there will be many more stories from him,” she said.
WRAD is aimed to keep the fires of literacy burning while igniting a love for reading and storytelling. It is to foster a culture of reading to children and in turn, make them readers for life.
According to readwritethink.org, WRAD motivates children, teens, and adults to celebrate the power of words. This global literacy movement is about taking action to show the world that the right to read and write belongs to all people. WRAD asks everyone to celebrate the day by grabbing a book, finding an audience, and reading out loud.
