The SHKP Book Club set up a parent-child reading corner in New Town Plaza to encourage reading at young age. Various activities being staged to promote reading include shows, story-telling sessions by staff from Hong Kong Education City, appearances by authors, singing and dancing.

Range of activities stimulates interest

Children respond well to a variety of activities, so staff from Hong Kong Education City dressed up as characters like a witch, rat, magician and frog and told amusing stories at the New Town Plaza reading corner. The Bear Childrens Choir sang an operetta for the children and danced, while teaching the audience how to make up their own songs from what they read in books.

Puppet show

Prolonged reading can lead to eye strain, so Uncle Yan Tsai from the Ming Ri Theatre put on a puppet show teaching a daily three-minute eye-relaxation exercise, complete with funny songs.

Quiz with fun prizes

Artist Mimi Lo Man-chong was the MC and challenged the children in the audience with a quiz for fun prizes. The book corner is meant to strengthen parent-child bonds and stimulate childrens interest in reading with games and activities. Two more special events were held on December 3 and 4.

Noted authors speak

Most people in Hong Kong have heard of Pui Pui the crocodile that lived in Shan Pui River in Yuen Long but few will have actually seen it. Sung Yee-shui, author of The Little Crocodile read from her book in the reading corner and spoke about her personal experience of the creature, while author Poon Kam-ying also spoke about how she became a writer and what it meant to her.

Official opening

The reading corner had its official opening on October 23, and featured artists Teresa Mo, Lai Yiu Cheung, Mak Cheung Ching, their children and various writers talking about parents reading with their children. Singer Patrick Tang also performed.