Two girls keep an eye out for reading books.

During the months of May and June, the Lions Club of Cayman Brac joined with the Cayman Brac Public Library and hosted the annual Volunteer Reading Programme dubbed “Story Hour”.

The event took place on Saturdays from 11:00 am until 12:00 pm.

Lion Lois Thompson has been instrumental in the programme conception after relocating to the Island several years ago and has been volunteering in the programme to date.

According to the club, the programme was well attended this year, not only by the children, but also by parents who sat with their children during the hour. A few parents also volunteered to read.

“The Story Hour has brought to the fore the fact that the children enjoy being read to, and develop a love for reading, with the end result that they too want to read to the group,” the club said in a press release.

“These results are in keeping with the underpinning goal of the Story Hour programme; to encourage life long learning skills and increase the literacy skills of the children on the Sister Islands.”

Children normally select their books and then try to emulate the volunteers by reading a page then showing the pictures. This year, students also had the opportunity to listen to stories from audio books (stories on CDs).

On the final day of the programme a pizza party was held and children were given prizes in various categories such as attendance and commitment. Everyone received something for attending, either a book, bookmark, a sticker or a button.

The Cayman Brac Lions Club says it is proud to adopt the programme and is committed to building it in years to come.

In the words of Joseph Addison: “Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body”.