Culture & Education | Saturday 2 May, 2015 1:18 am |

Speakers Stress the Importance of Reading and its Role in Raising Children's Awareness

Participants in a seminar entitled "Children's Libraries between Digital and Print", organized as a part of the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival’s seventh edition, stressed the importance and necessity of reading in both its forms, namely traditional print books and digital books, emphasizing the act of reading - which is an essential exercise of the brain to elevate awareness, knowledge, and cognitive capabilities - to be far more imperative for children than the specific form of book they read from. Speaking at the seminar were Jordanian author Rawda Hudhud, Dr. Hanem Abbas from Egypt, and Indian author Anjana Vaswani, with Moderator Zakaraya Ahmad.

Hudhud reviewed her experience in children’s literature, voicing her focus on serious content that contributes to an overall cultural stream specific to children. Hudhud added, necessitates that children do not only read books, but also exchange them with peers and take part in establishing libraries at home, school, and the neighborhood. Moreover, Hudhud continued, it is important to transform literature into live performances that attract even more children to the world of reading.


She stated that the future is open to all possibilities in the world of reading, writing and creativity, and that her generation should not be afraid of the new age competition. Digital books, she added, are a wonderful innovation, and what matters is for children to read.


For her part, Indian writer Anjana Vaswani highlighted main milestones in her career, expressing that she was born to a happy family who loves reading and encouraged her to read and later write. She also shared that being a mother of two helped her to dedicate her career to children’s literature.


She insisted on the value of simplicity in children books, as children identify with this type of literature, elaborating that this new digital age necessitates that authors change their approach to writing in order to reach today's children.

With regard to the digital libraries vs classical libraries, Vaswani affirmed that what truly matters is for children to read, regardless of the medium they use.

In turn, children’s literature and new technology specialist Dr. Hanem Abbas reviewed the history of libraries, and how they evolved from classical print books to modern day digital books. The controversy on what makes either category superior or preferred, Dr. Abbas said, is irrelevant, as what matters most is always for children to read and explore new knowledge and awareness.