What is a school if it does not promote a love of reading?

San Andrea School, in the limits of Żebbiegħ, has always taken books and reading seriously. 

Evidence of this is the annual Book Week during which a flurry of book-related activities take place over seven days. 

This year, these include talks by authors Noel Tanti, Audrey Friggieri and Saviour Pirotta (UK), workshops by illustrators Marisa Attard and Matthew Stroud, and interactive reading sessions by Ruth Frendo, among other initiatives.

On Monday, the school had a special dress-up day, where both teachers and students donned a costume of their favourite literary character. 

Classrooms became a riot of colours as the students discarded their green and blue uniforms for brightly-coloured costumes, masks and characters.

The highlight of the week in early and middle school is, however, taking place tomorrow with the school’s annual open day which carries the theme ‘One World, Many Stories’. 

Students from senior school will visit the national library in Valletta, take part in a general literature quiz and have the opportunity to buy books at a discounted price.

Animators at San Andrea School entertaining children during Book Week.

De La Salle College Junior School in Vittoriosa also held a book week recently. For five schooldays, children were exposed to different events: they made crafts that depicted favourite characters and met well-known authors Clare Azzopardi, Ruth Frendo, Natalie Portelli, Audrey Friggieri, Aunty Sab and Roberta Bajada. Charles Casha, whocreated the much-loved character of Fra Mudest, also attended the event.

From reading picnics tovisiting an enchanted forest and going on book hunts, to quizzes and debates, the children enjoyed a week of book-themed activities together with their teachers. 

At the end of the week, the best feedback the school could get was seeing reluctant readers having fun and fully participating in all that took place.

On Monday, San Andrea students dressed up as their favourite book characters.