The General Manager in-charge of Operations of Readwide Company Limited, a book publishing company, Rita Afia Owusu, has described a home without books as a body without a soul.

Speaking to school children and teachers at a mini book fair organised by Readwide Company Limited in some schools in Accra, she said family involvement is a key component of a child’s success in reading.

This, she said, takes the form of parents reading aloud to children, checking on homework assignments, limiting television viewing, monitoring out-of-school activities and praising of children’s efforts.

Ms Afia Owusu described reading as an adventure that should begin early in a child’s life and extend beyond the classroom, adding that children must be encouraged to exhibit certain reading behaviours at a younger age.

The General Manager pointed out that by understanding and nurturing those behaviours, parents should make reading a fun and motivate their children to develop a life-long friendship with books

"Nothing helps a child to succeed and live — a committed parent. A little willingness from a child’s parent can work wonders in the classroom," Ms Afia Owusu stated.

She also urged teachers to play specific roles in the child’s literacy development by creating a literacy rich environment by sharing, reading and writing activities, acting as reading models and demonstrating attitudes towards education.

Source: The Ghanaian Times