VIP members of the SHKP Reading Club Blanche Tang and Leung Kee Cheong gave their support to the Recycle Your Read campaign by donating books and sharing insights on parents travelling with children, as the summer offers an excellent time for family trips to teach children more about the world. Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited (SHKP) has collected about 23,000 books by the end of June since the Club launched Recycle Your Read early this year.

Noted radio host Blanche Tang has given over 600 talks on parent-child relationships and she donated ten volumes in a series of bilingual children’s stories published by Crystal Window Books to Recycle Your Read.

Blanche said: "Taking the kids travelling is definitely something every mother looks forward to each year. Just the idea of putting work aside for a while and exploring new things in another place with our children can bring great happiness." Unexpected things often happen when travelling with kids.  Blanche recalled the time she was flying over the Pacific Ocean to Vancouver when her son – two years old at the time – began whining about going back home. He was so loud he nearly woke up the other passengers. Luckily Blanche was well-prepared; she took a storybook from her bag and caught his attention, then calmed him and got him listen as she read. She advises taking colourful and interesting books that are small and easy to carry on trips with children.

Principal of the Fresh Fish Traders' School Leung Kee Cheong, who will retire at the end of the month, has his own perspective on parents reading with children. His contribution to Recycle Your Read was a book he wrote as 'daddy' of a school, published by Unicorn Books.

Leung considers storytelling to be one of the best ways to educate children and says a simple story told in a lively way can give a great lesson about life. He said: "I recommend this collection of stories that I share with students during morning assembly and others about education that I wrote weekly for parents.  They aren't long and make convenient material for parents to read with their children while travelling, to help create a great, relaxing trip and build relationships."

The SHKP Reading Club Recycle Your Read campaign has been collecting books from various districts in Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and the New Territories. The campaign encourages the public to donate books to extend their usefulness and pass on the happiness of reading to underprivileged members of society. Collection points are available in Southern district on Hong Kong Island in August to continue the city-wide book donation campaign, along with fixed points at WTC More in Causeway Bay, Millennium City 1 in Kwun Tong and East Point City in Tseung Kwan O. Visit the SHKP Reading Club Facebook page at www.facebook.com/shkpreadingclub for updates on the Recycle Your Read campaign, or contact the SHKP Reading Club at 2511 3248 or the World Green Organisation at 2991 9102 for enquiries.

About the SHKP Reading Club

SHKP set up the SHKP Reading Club in late 2013 to consolidate its reading-related initiatives, and everyone is welcome to join for free. The Club publishes the regular free ReadIt and Read Monthly magazines and organizes cultural events like seminars with leading speakers and guided cultural tours to inspire more people to enjoy reading and make it a habit. Anyone interested can join at www.shkpreadingclub.com.

About Recycle Your Read

Recycle Your Read was initiated by the SHKP Reading Club in collaboration with the World Green Organisation to extend the lifespan of books, encourage more underprivileged people to enjoy reading and promote greener living through resource sharing. There are collection points in SHKP developments like residential estates, malls and commercial buildings until November (see table below). Volunteers will sort the books collected by category for redistribution to people in need via supporting organizations. Anyone interested in being a supporting organization can call the SHKP Reading Club at 2511 3248 or World Green Organisation at 2991 9102.

Books should be in good condition with wholesome content.  Genres may include children’s books, geography/ travel, psychology/ health/ medicine, fiction/ literature, finance/ business, lifestyle and general interest. Books in any language are welcome. See the SHKP Reading Club Facebook page at www.facebook.com/shkpreadingclub for more details.