Raiden Harragin, the reading scientist

THERE is nothing seven-year-old Raiden Harragin loves more than reading.

Well, maybe dinosaurs – but that's it.

He attends the Point Fortin RC Primary School and previously attended the El Socorro Hindu SDMS Primary School.

The standard one student told Newsday Kids his love for reading was a result of his mother, Priya Ganness, telling him stories at bedtime.

"She would make up stories or (read) from these big books," he said.

He enjoys both fiction and non-fiction books but loves reading about animals, science and Anansi stories.

"My favourite books are Anansi and the Sky God, and Anansi Helps A Friend."

During the height of the covid19 pandemic, when they weren't really able to buy new books, Harragin followed in his mother's footsteps and tried storytelling. He loved it.

The two would make up stories on the spot and use their imagination to picture themselves in the scenarios being described.

When physical school finally resumed, he was named the top reader in his class and even enjoys reading to his classmates.

"I just love that when I am reading, I feel like I am reading to everybody."

He recalled reading the book Treasure Island to one of his friends who had been having challenges reading.

"I sat by him and read the whole book for him. Later on, he became the second-best reader in the class!"

He also has books about dinosaurs and many dinosaur toys, which he reads to.

His favourite dinosaur is the Spinosaurus. In fact, Ganness admitted to trying to correct him when he called a particular dinosaur a Pachycephalosaurus.

"But in the end, I was right," Harragin said with a prideful smile on his face.

He thinks more children should become interested in reading because "when you read, you will know how to spell bigger words."

He boasts of being able to correctly spell the words responsibility and indigenous.

In addition to reading, he enjoys playing tennis and going to the beach. He lives a short walk away from Clifton Hill Beach in Point Fortin.

He also likes doing scientific experiments.

"When I grow up, I want to be a scientist – even though I already am.

"This one time, I had a lime and got a syringe with blue food colouring to inject into it because I wanted to see if it would become blue. It kind of did.

"Most of the time, I go outside to see what different things I can do or make."

A Facebook page called Reading With Raiden was recently set up for him, where the public can see videos of him reading.

He thanked his mother and father Rasheed Harragin for always supporting him.