Greenwood celebrates World Book Day

The Principal, Greenwood House School, Ikoyi, Lagos, Mrs. Margaret Durand, has urged pupils to develop a more robust reading culture, saying it is an elixir for proper mental development.

She stated this on Thursday as the school marked the World Book Day.

The school, which joined the rest of the world to celebrate the day, had its over 500 pupils, parents and teachers participate in the exercise.

Pupils of the school particularly participated in parade, drama and quiz.

Durand said, “The essence of the World Book Day is to encourage pupils to read books, to inculcate in them a sound reading culture. Most of the books showcased today are ancient ones and very insightful too for mental development.”

The highpoint of the event was the parade of pupils dressed in their favourite book characters.

For example, three of them, dressed in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar’s costume, while others wore costumes of characters which reflected Oliver Twist, Mahatma Gandhi, Ghost Rider, and Little Red Riding Hood.

A parent, Mr. Adeola Idowu, who hailed the exposure given to the pupils, said the exercise was proper for grooming young minds.

He said, “It is about encouraging kids to read more. Most of us adults do not read as we ought to because many of us did not imbibe the culture from childhood. So the programme is as important to adults as it is to kids.”

Apart from the parade, there was also a stage performance of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar by pupils, as parents and teachers also had a talk session to add colour to the event.

Earlier, the coordinating teacher, Miss Simi Kusamotu, stressed the importance of reading, drawing a comparison between books and trees.

She noted, “This year, we are going all out to read more in order to live. Books are made out of trees, and trees are strongly rooted to the earth. Probably books are made out of trees for that reason. No wonder, readers are usually well grounded and stand out among their peers.”

Two of the pupils, who wore Julius Caesar and Mahatma Gandhi’s costumes, told our correspondent that they were happy for the role they played, promising to be more committed to reading.

The World Book Day, also known as International Day of the Book, is a yearly event observed by United Nations member states.

It is organised by UNESCO to promote reading, publishing and copyright.

The ceremony inaugurated in 1995 comes up every April 23.

 However, in the United Kingdom, it is marked every first Thursday in March.