Tirso Dos Santos, Programme Specialist, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), on Thursday observed that reading books offer a productive approach to improving vocabulary and word power of students. He advised Ghanaian students to read for at least thirty minutes daily to keep them abreast with the various styles of writing and new vocabulary. Mr. Tirso, who was speaking at the launch of the Accra Read Project for Nima and Kwaukundy communities, Accra, said reading helps to build strong emotional bond between children and their parents. He said: “Children who start reading from an early age are observed to have good language skills and they grasp the variances in phonics much better”. Mr. Tirso noted that reading also helps in mental development since it involves greater levels of concentration and adds to the conversational skills of the reader. He stressed that children should be encouraged to read to enable them to gather information quickly and learn how to speak and write languages more efficiently. ‘Research has shown that children who have books at home read more and even score better marks in school’, Mr. Tirso said. Mr. Asare Konadu Yamoah, President of Ghana Book Publishers Association, said reading was an exciting adventure and a journey of openness and empowerment of students. He tasked parents and educational authorities to make reading materials accessible to children. Source: GNA