Eight-year-old Gregory Johnson loves to read.
"I read Harry Potter, my sister bought a mystery book for me and I read that and all my class lesson books. And now I'm reading Hardy Boys," he says smiling with his eyes wide open.
Gregory's interest in reading was sparked at four at the Waterford Basic School. The last in a family of five children he gets hand-me-down books and can lean on his siblings and parents for help.
"My brothers read to me sometimes, but my sisters help me better," he admits.
Gregory is one of thousand of Jamaican children who travel the world through words.
"We need to introduce children to the knowledge that they are a part of books and it is a part of them and (that) the two are not separate and cannot be separate otherwise it becomes a chore. So when I hear parents say 'my child will not read,' I know the child doesn't see the parent reading or doesn't see the parent reading enough. If your child sees you reading and laughing they want to read it too," says Amina Blackwood Meeks, one of Jamaica's most popular story teller and folklorist.
Michelle Johnson, Gregory's mother, says she started stimulating his reading sensitivity even before he was born.
"Books are important and during the holiday season even though I buy some games and toys, books are also part of the gift package," she says.
It has been scientifically proven that the first five years are critical to the development of child. Early stimulus to books and charts to understand concepts are strongly recommended by child psychologists during this period.
Authors such as C. Evert Palmer, Charles Hyatt, Lorna Goodison, Edward Braithwaite, Austin Clarke, Hazel Campbell, Diane Browne and Suzanne Francis Brown have opened up the world to children.
"What I'm trying to do is pass on some of the history through a medium that can capture the imagination," says Mrs. Francis Brown.
Diane Brown, of the Ministry of Education, who is also an author of children's books, says children can go into the realm of stories (which) leads them into the wonderful world of the imagination where there are fascinating characters and exciting events.
"It is a gift which they may keep forever, using it time after time. It is even more precious when stories are about Jamaican or other Caribbean children like themselves, because they realise that these children share their experiences, and that our lives are worthy of being celebrated, just like the lives of other children in far away lands," she adds.
Mrs. Suzanne Francis Brown notes that, "we have a lot of stories here to tell, whether you like them or agree with them we have a lot of myths and legends that have not been explored and we need to tell those stories."
"As long as we keep writing about how we are and using our language and our images our children are safe," said Ms. Blackwood Meeks.
"Stories need to be exciting, interesting and full of action the stories need to have movement to appeal to children. The language needs to be easy, not just everyday words. There is nothing wrong with children finding new words in stories but they shouldn't stumble over them," says Mrs. Francis Brown.
Identifiable characters that children will appreciate are also important when telling children stories. "That's why Pokemon, Care Bears, Cinderella, Red Riding Hood and others do well because children can take on a journey with them," she adds.
