This summer, libraries get children hooked to reading

CHENNAI: On the glass wall of theHippocampus library in Adyar is a tree that seems to be growing almost every day, leaf by leaf. Called the reading tree, the paper cutout is the library's attempt to get children interested in reading. 

"If a child wants to recommend a book, he or she writes down the book title along with their name on a leaf and stick it on the wall, adding to the reading tree," says Chandni Khanna, director, Hippocampus Children's Co. 

The library also has plans to organise 'book picnics', where families will be brought in to "feast on books that are age-appropriate". "We are trying to get children interested in reading, especially now that summer vacations are here and it is too hot to go out during the day," says Khanna. 

And summer's not the only reason to get hooked to reading. With libraries popping up across the city, many of them online, borrowing of books has become hassle-free. "It's simple - you log in, become a member, pay your one-time fee and order books, which are delivered at your doorstep," says Amrutash Misra, of iloveread.in, an online library. Memberships are also quite cheap with a few libraries charging as little as Rs 100 a month. 

"When books are delivered home, there is no need to postpone reading," says Raji Divakar of bookandborrow.com, whose library has come up with special offers for children in the summer break. "It is helpful for children and older people who may not be able to get around on their own and for working people who may not find time to head to the library," she says. 

Vinay Grandhi, who runs the Just Books lending library in Indira Nagar says the trick is to make the system simple enough for a child to use. "Just Books runs on a franchise model and there are 58 across the country where you can swipe your card and borrow books," says Grandhi. The library functions almost like an ATM and members can place their card and books on a specially designed kiosk which reads the data and updates the system. 

This summer, on almost every Saturday, S Supraja, who runs an organisation called 'The Winners', is organising reading workshops. "Schools tend to focus on academic books and so summer vacations are a good time to get children to enjoy reading," says Supraja. "But reading is also about exploring the child's interests and we use these workshops and connect with the parents on what their child wants to read," she adds.

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