"The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.'
Dr. Seuss

No matter what the language, how rich or poor the nation, the power of the written word to tell a story, the joy of reading and the love of books themselves is powerful.

Much has been made of the electronic age and the move from hard copy books to reading on an electronic device. We’re in an age of transition, recognising that iPads, Kindles and Smartphones can add many extra layers to the reading of a story or the researching of facts. Our current generation of children are living in a fast-paced world of change where much is expected at the click of a button and yet the ‘school library,’ now a beautiful Learning Commons at the top of Roselle, with shelves stocked with hardcovers, paperbacks and magazines, remains a popular, tactile, diversionary, imaginary, adventure-seeking draw card!

After a full week devoted to books, with an author visit and dads reading to sons before school, Friday dawned bright and clear, the perfect weather for a fantastic Book Parade by the Junior School. With the rest of the School out lining the paths to cheer them on, a profusion of book characters took a circuit of Roselle. Passing motorists on Shore Road must have been delighted and surprised!

‘Where’s Wally’ won the day, with Willy Wonka and golden tickets from ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ making strong presence and the ever-popular boy wizard, Harry Potter. Star Wars continues to capture the imagination as does the venerable diary written by a ‘Wimpy Kid.’ It was heartening to see that children’s stories from another generation still endure with the Saucepan Man from Enid Blyton’s ‘Magic Faraway Tree’ added to the mix!

Literacy is born from the human need to tell stories to better understand ourselves and the world in which we live; it can also transport us to another world on a journey rich with words. The Boys’ School Learning Commons plays a key role as place for encouraging curiosity and unlocking the imagination. As electronic devices take their place in the library alongside the shelves of books, one fundamental is unchanged, the need to encourage children to read for both pleasure and learning.

‘If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales.
If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.’

Albert Einstein

‘So please, oh please, we beg, we pray, 
Go throw your TV set away. 
And in its place you can install, 
A lovely bookshelf on the wall.’ 

Roald Dahl in 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' 

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