I met the students and faculty of Hongirana School for Excellence on a Library Audit visit late last year.
Hongirana School is situated close to Sagar town and has the biodiversity of the Western Ghats with the school surrounded by nature.
Within this school, rests a beautiful library building that our team had the joy of reviewing. We worked closely with students of Std. 7 who helped in the library and and showed interest in reading diverse books.
On returning home, and looking around Bookworm I realised that I could not leave the urge and the interest of the children behind in Sagar. So together with their very dynamic head mistress and Middle school lead , we decided to explore the idea of booktalks via skype.
Over the past few years, I am growing into technology in the library. Slowly like an inchworm, I am trying to make sense of how we use this resource, this tool to promote reading and strengthen children’s exposure to the written word.
We have had two exciting sessions where the students booktalk about texts I am recommending. Some of them I email to the school and the resourceful teachers ensure that students have access to pendrives that enable the book to go home and be read and recently I have mailed a copy of the text to the school.
In our book talk sessions the students are thinking about the point of view of the writer, what might be the theme of the book, would they recommend it to another and what struck them about the story and the craft of writing. As they keenly listen, respond, question and wait patiently while we sort out technical glitches I am reminded of the power that books and story have over us and how a small investment in time can enable us to talk to each other despite geographic distance and always in joy.
