A winning Essay by Sereti Lusimba (9 years old)
Families can develop a reading culture by reading an interesting book to have more knowledge and to make other people write and read books. The following are some of the reading clubs in Nairobi: Text Book Center Reading Time, African Kids Book Club, Kenya National Library Services Reading Programs, among others. Mothers and fathers should also be encouraged to buy books and read at home as a family.
Here is my reading journey and the path to loving books:
One sunny Sunday I went to Textbook Center and I saw a woman reading a book with a lot of expression and curiosity and I wanted to read like her, so my mother encouraged me to join a reading club. We searched together and found a club called AFRICAN KIDS BOOK CLUB. The day I joined the club, my father took me to one of their club fairs at the Hub in Karen. There was lots of fun: trampoline, bouncing castle, ice cream being sold, a clown, art corner and free books to read. There was a friendship talk about knowing each other and the importance of reading a book. I was keenly taking notes in my notebook.
From that day I have been going to the club and reading different books at different venues. I learn a lot from the reading club and its venues: Karura Forest, the Arboretum, the Nairobi Art Gallery, Nairobi Railway Museum, Nairobi National Park, National Theater, and many more places we have visited. We have also had club tours at the United Nations, where I learned that the UN helps countries support peace in several countries. We also went on a tour to an Ice Cream Factory where I learned how ice cream is made and got free ice cream.
At the book club, every end month we meet and are given books in English or Kiswahili to go home with to read and summarize the stories in our notebooks. When we meet again to review the books we were given and find a winner who is selected by the members. The selection is made based on most words filled in the puzzle, correct spelling during dictation among others. The winner gets a trophy and the second position gets a certificate. The owner of the Club says when we go to the higher group after 9-10 years, we will also learn French and Spanish.
Reading has helped me to be confident, learning more words, public speaking, interest in reading more books, and helping others to read books. It has helped me to collect many books and keep them in my library for my baby brother to learn how to read as well. From my savings and with the help of my father I bought two books; Nelson Mandela and the Enchanted Wood which I finished reading. I also helped my cousin and a friend know how to read books and be confident in public speaking and storytelling.