Family Literacy Day is Jan. 27 and several groups are planning the first Coast-wide series of events to celebrate and promote family literacy on the Sunshine Coast. Agencies and organizations involved with literacy are inviting the community to participate in events or to celebrate family literacy with their own plans.
There will be several events in the malls, at the Sechelt Public Library and at many elementary schools.
One of the events is Get Caught Reading. The Sechelt Library is looking for candid photos of people reading in any setting. Contribute copies of such photos (the library can scan them). If your picture appears on the photo board, you will be eligible to win a prize. There is also going to be a children's literature roundtable group for Sunshine Coast enthusiasts of quality books for young people on Jan. 27.
Ron Jobe, professor at UBC, is the first guest speaker of the roundtable. He will speak about encouraging and motivating reluctant readers, especially boys, to read. Dr. Jobe will speak at 7:15 p.m. at the Sechelt Public Library. Parents, teachers and children's literature enthusiasts are welcome.
Family literacy acknowledges the richness and complexity of families and the many literacy tasks that are part of everyday life, including such activities as: counting items in the grocery store, making lists, recognizing signs, singing, learning rhymes, playing board games, doing puzzles and, of course, reading aloud.
For more information, call Iris Loewen at the Sechelt Public Library at 604-885-3260 or Carol Nielsen at Capilano College at 604-885-9310.
