In light of literacy, I am glad that our community is still proactive in promoting reading and writing through numerous initiatives held annually.
Family Literacy Day takes place every January 27th to raise awareness about the importance of reading and engaging in other literacy-related activities as a family.
This year, Moose Jaw actively took part in making sure that families continue to engage in spending time with their kids through all kinds of events hosted at the Moose Jaw Public Library and Early Years Family Resource Centre.
Reading and writing are just as important to language learning as speaking.
It is imperative to give children a good foundation in reading and writing as this establishes a lifelong passion for reading and usually continues throughout one’s lifetime. It is not uncommon to see mature adults still enjoying a book on holidays, while many make it a ritual to read every night before bed.
Many parents make time to read to their children who are not yet able to read on their own. Our grandkids could read us one of their books before they could read themselves; their parents reread their favourite books and over the course of time and with the illustrations on each page, the little guys basically could read the book word for word by the time they could speak.
Dr. Seuss loved to promote reading. He is the most quoted author of all time. He says:
"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
“You can find magic wherever you look. Sit back and relax, all you need is a book.”
“You’re never too old, too wacky, too wild, to pick up a book and read to a child.”
“Reading can take you places you have never been before.”
“Read. Travel. Read. Ask. Read. Learn. Read. Connect. Read.”
I believe that educating your children isn’t just for the education system. Education is a lifelong adventure. Parents should be highly involved in making sure their kids have literary comprehension so they have the tools necessary to excel in whatever endeavour they choose.
And as for the adults, Moose Jaw’s annual Festival of Words held every July continues to cater to the ‘bookies’ and feeds their passion for reading. It is no doubt one of Moose Jaw’s finest annual events and continues to thrive and expand.
Upcoming, the Festival of Words is hosting LitCon 2023, an annual conference that offers local writers and enthusiasts the chance to hear from industry experts, authors, publishers, etc. This event is taking place on March 18th with in-person workshops, as well as some online workshops taking place from March 1 – 9.
You can learn more about this event in this edition of the Moose Jaw Express.
The event itself is working towards building a local community network of like-minds so that they can learn from each other and get knowledgeable first-hand information on the how-to’s for all things necessary in the literary world.
And to all, Dr. Seuss says, “Be awesome! Be a book nut!”
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
