Students enjoy storytime at Arima library

Students of Arima Boys' Government School were left wanting more on September 4, after several books were read to them, one of them in Spanish. The reading was part of the Arima Public Library’s Storytime Read in Every Language, Unite in Every Word initiative.

Featured speaker and MP for Arima Pennelope Beckles, delivered a vibrant reading of Jessica Souhami’s book No Dinner, The Story of the Old Woman and the Pumpkin.

Before she began reading to the standard two pupils, Beckles stressed the importance of listening. She asked who knew how to speak Spanish and eager hands went up as students enthusiastically offered words like “dos,” “amigo” and “uno.”

Beckles then asked who wanted to become a lawyer, doctor, engineer, or teacher and a few hands were raised. When she asked about aspiring footballers, almost every hand went up.

But when she asked who wanted to be a politician, not a single hand was raised, which elicited laughter from the minister, library officials and teachers.

No Dinner is a story about an old woman who sets off through a forest to visit her granddaughter. Along the way, she encounters a hungry fox, bear and tiger that want to eat her.

The old woman cleverly avoids being eaten by promising them she will taste better after having her dinner. On her return journey, she outwits the animals by hiding in a pumpkin. After the reading, Beckles took photos with the children and answered some questions.

Librarian Danielle De Graff read another book, accompanied by a co-worker who translated the story in Spanish. They also conducted a question-and-answer session and distributed prizes to the students.

Newsday Kids spoke with student Micha-El Forde, who described the event as “good” and said his favourite book is The Magic Porridge Pot. He wants to become either a police officer or a fireman and his favourite subject is math.

“I know a little bit of Spanish, like 'buenos,' 'tres,' and 'amigo,'” he said. He would like more storytime sessions.

His classmate Gabriel Ryan appreciated the story read in Spanish, as he also knows Spanish and is interested in learning more.

He suggested monthly reading sessions for his class. Asked his favourite subject, with a mischievous smile, he said, “Lunchtime!”

De Graff said storytime has been ongoing at the library since 2008, describing it as a “mandatory” programme.

She said the initiative is hosted by libraries throughout Trinidad and Tobago and the Arima Library has a 10 am reading session every Tuesday aimed at preschoolers.

“We offer storytelling for older children and if we receive a special request from a school, we tailor the session for that group.”

De Graff said the library partners with other schools in the district and noted that after storytime, children often show increased interest in books and reading.