Roald Dahl once said: “If you are going to get anywhere in life you have to read a lot of books.”

Nico Cuschieri Lindsberger, Year 3

Children can change the world; all they need is a little inspiration and a nudge from us.

During the second week of March, De La Salle College primary school organised its third book week. I was drawn to wonder whether during the pandemic, with all the protocols and limitations, this would still be relevant and effective.

According to Walt Disney, “there is more treasure in books than in all the pirate’s loot on Treasure Island”. Thus, if we see reading as a precious treasure, book week is a chance to help students, families and educators to discover this abundant wealth and to spread their love of books and stories.

The synergy generated through social media enabled further activities and more involvement from families

Dean Spiteri, Year 5

We are fortunate to have plentiful reading resources and passionate staff and families. The concept of book week has a strong curriculum connection and it was explored in a number of activities, such as reading challenges, D.E.A.R. time (drop everything and read), parades (where we focused on book characters), book tasting, and links with local authors.

Each and every day was filled with opportunities to expand our reading horizons, whether within large or small groups, before school, during breaks, during a reading picnic, in classrooms or in warm and cosy reading places.

This year, the pandemic didn’t halt book week. Activities kept going, inspiration flowed and everyone read. The synergy generated through social media enabled further activities and more involvement from families.

Matthias Seychell, Year 2

The Facebook group ‘Lasallian Bookworm’ is an active group indeed, with educators, students and families sharing their personal reading journey and reading activities.

Building individual reading skills and habits is so important, as are the benefits children receive from being read to.

Author Carl Sagan once said: “What an astonishing thing a book is. It’s a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts on which are imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles. But one glance at it and you’re inside the mind of another person...”.

Doriana Delia Parnis is a Year 1 teacher at De La Salle College primary school.

Joe Caruana, Year 5, and Sam Caruana, Year 3