Eyes wide open and mouths ajar, scores of children listened attentively as a storyteller whisked them off to a magical world where animals spoke, while others beamed as animators traced colourful designs on their hands and faces.
The activity, held yesterday at Bisazza Street, Sliema, served to mark International Literacy Day, which falls tomorrow.
Joining the fun were singers Ira Losco and Kurt Calleja, who were appointed Reading Ambassadors as part of the National Literacy Strategy. They took to the stage to share their love of reading while conveying the message that it pays to read.
Times of Malta caught up with the two singers to discover which books transformed them into bookworms.
As a child, Ira Losco was enchanted by the magic of Grimms’ Fairytales, although she recognises that stories about castles and princesses might now seem dated to today’s generation of youngsters.
36%
of 15-year-olds in Malta were low achievers in reading literacy
She recalled being particularly enwrapped by Anne Fine’s Goggle-Eyes, which explored a young girl’s difficulty in accepting her mother’s boyfriend.
“The story reflects a very modern reality. It deals with an interpersonal situation, as was the last book I read called The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.”
The mystery novel is narrated from the first-person perspective of a boy with Asperger’s Syndrome who, in his quest to find the person who killed his neighbour’s dog, meets people he had never encountered before.
Ira Losco is also a big fan of Paolo Coelho’s books, having devoured many of his publications while recording her unplugged album, Unmasked.
Books provide a rich source from which she can soak up ideas to inspire her lyrics.
On the other hand, Kurt Calleja is currently delving into life coaching books, which tackle the issues of time management and personal development. He is alternating between Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and Rhonda Byrne’s The Secret.
He has also devoured all the Harry Potter books and cannot wait to sink his teeth into The Hunger Games series.
Did he ever read out stories to his youngest brother when he was young?
“No, I always read for my own pleasure. My favourite activity to do with my youngest brother was pick on him,” he grinned.
According to the Programme for International Assessment, 36 per cent of 15-year-olds in Malta were low achievers in reading literacy – considerably higher than the EU average of 19.7 per cent.
Charles Mifsud, the national literacy strategy coordinator, explained that the strategy focused on the zero to three age group.
Schools are being encouraged to increase the amount of storytelling and reading sessions in class.
Children with poor levels of literacy will be given one-to-one sessions by literacy support tutors and complementary teachers, while their parents will be offered guidance in informal settings regarding shared reading techniques, such as examining illustrations and asking questions.