Jordanian bookworms recount joys of reading on World Read Aloud Day

AMMAN — On February 5 each year, avid readers celebrate the power of words on World Read Aloud Day by grabbing a book and reading it aloud.

World Read Aloud Day was founded in 2010 by global non-profit organisation LitWorld, which devotes its efforts to achieve literacy out of the vision that being able to read is a fundamental human right that brings joy, economic independence, gender equality and a pathway out of poverty, according to the organisation’s website.

To mark this day, people all around the globe “celebrate the joy of reading aloud” and advocate for literacy as a universal right, the website noted.

“Reading remains unique despite all the technological advancements in recent decades, as it boosts creativity by requiring the reader to imagine sounds, sights and feelings,” avid Jordanian reader Salma Hussein told The Jordan Times on Wednesday.

With so many other things consuming her time, Hussein noted that it is a rare treat to read bedtime stories aloud to her three children. 

“My kids seem fascinated when I read a story, because the outrageous adventures and fantastic plots fill their minds with various questions, which lead to discussions and eventually to them becoming passionate readers,” Hussein said. “People see themselves in books they read.”

“A book expands a person’s vocabulary, comprehension, literacy and attention span,” she said.

Obada Zarqan, head of marketing for a Jordanian publishing company, told The Jordan Times that reading “significantly impacts” peoples’ actions and thoughts, particularly those of children, whose linguistic abilities and brain development are strongly influenced by the activity.

Khaled Balbisi, Director General and Owner of a publishing company, recalled the various forms of storytelling through the ages, noting that old stories, myths and histories were passed along orally through words, gestures and expressions.

While teachers read stories aloud to their classes, they often allow children to turn the pages of the books and point out their favourite characters, Lama Jabasini, owner of a Jordanian preschool, told The Jordan Times on Wednesday.

She added that at her preschool, one of the students reads a story in front of the class each week and receives applause at the end of the reading. The aim of this strategy, she said, is to build the children’s confidence, imagination and vocabulary while teaching them how to carry on a conversation.