Among the essential things that a child requires to flourish, words occupy an important place. Reading helps children to learn about the world and develops their ability to think. It’s this understanding that last year prompted Sheikh Khalifa, President of the UAE, to declare 2016 as the Year of Reading, while Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, has set an ambitious goal of getting a million children in the Middle East to read 50 Arabic books this year.
By partnering with Scholastic, one of the world's leading publishers of children's books, The National is playing its part in this reading drive. Our partnership will see more than 40,000 books donated to schools and individuals in the coming months. While this campaign will help get books into children's hands, nurturing a reading passion is a community endeavour that requires the cooperation of educators, parents and media organisations. After all, it takes a village to raise a child.
