I began writing stories for all the right reasons, more than 20 years ago.Having been an avid reader for as long as I could remember, I was rather upset that my eldest daughter, then age nine, chose not to read. She could read, and she could read well – she just didn’t want to. I didn’t understand that logic, and so like any good mother would do, I set out to guilt her into reading; child abuse at its finest. I decided to write a story about magic and mermaids, two of her favourite subjects, and this story would without a doubt, change her life forever.

My evil plan worked, and I succeeded in turning my daughter (and one of her younger sisters, as an added bonus) into a bookworm.   

Inadvertently, it also turned me into a serious literacy advocate.  I was absolutely stunned to discover that the importance of literacy had long before, fallen by the wayside.  Isn’t literacy the very foundation of learning?  Do we not owe this important skill to our children?  Children are our future.  Let’s give them at least the very basic skills, for their future. 

Parents, take 20 minutes out of every single day, put down the phones, turn off the tablets, and read to your children. Did you know that almost 40% of Canadians do not have adequate literacy skills (A report authored by TD Canada Trust, Literacy Matters: A Call to Action.)?  How horrifying, not to mention, avoidable.

Recently, I learned of the desperate need for easy to read books for struggling and/or reluctant readers, and the interview can be seen here:  https://www.cheknews.ca/chek-upside-duncan-author-rises-the-amazon-charts-while-aiming-to-improve-child-literacy-741602/

Teresa Schapansky
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https://teresaschapansky.com 

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