This World Book Day, city libraries are adding a new chapter, with a variety of activities and events planned in the days leading up to and following 23 April, all centred on the theme of making it ‘your’ World Book Day.
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‘Our libraries will use any opportunity to cultivate and encourage a love for reading and books. Books give flight to our imagination and make the ordinary a magical experience,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Community Services and Health Councillor Patricia van der Ross.
She added, ‘They inform, enlighten, enthral and help us understand and live our history and culture. World Book Day celebrates all of this, and this year it encourages everyone to embrace all that books do.’
23 April is a symbolic date in world literature because it is the date on which several prominent authors – William Shakespeare, Miguel de Cervantes and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega – died.
As a result, the date was chosen for the UNESCO general conference in 1995 to pay a global tribute to books and authors, encouraging as many people as possible to read and share ideas.
‘It is our duty as adults to encourage a love for reading, and there is no better way than to lead by example. A passion for reading starts with hearing stories being told,’ said Councillor Van der Ross. ‘We cannot expect our children to enjoy reading when parents and other adults do not set them on a book journey. It is never too early to start reading to a child and to give them the lifelong gift of a love of books.’
Librarians visiting a special needs school; displays and talks about copyright and intellectual property; a workshop for aspiring authors and artists; storytelling; and safety awareness talks are among the World Book Day events.
Check out your local library for more information on World Book Day and related activities.
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