What’s the buzz? It’s a meeting of the BookBees
On a rainy evening, some children are seated in a circle, on the ground at the Independence memorial hall, clutching their favourite books, excitedly discussing the wonderful places, amazing characters and remarkable stories hidden among those pages.
This is a meeting of the BookBees Colombo, the children’s book club founded by Maria Nugara Jayakody (Queen Bee of the club). This particular meeting is on “Magic and Mayhem”, the weather creating the ideal atmosphere to talk about the magical stories and mystical settings in the books. The discussion is followed by lots of fun filled activities and games especially designed by Maria to expand the imaginative skills of the kids.
Queen Bee Maria (inset) and the magic unfolds. Pix by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
BookBees Colombo is all about encouraging children aged 7-12 years to read and to develop a passion for books. An avid reader from a very young age, Maria’s biggest inspiration was her aunt Caryl. She used to listen to the Shakespeare plays narrated by her aunt and would try to read them on her own skipping the difficult words when she was just 7-8 years old. Later Maria noticed another such reader in her own family. “I saw the excitement and the passion that my niece had for reading. It really pushed me to start this club in which I wanted to grow the excitement and enthusiasm in reading in other children as well,” Maria explains
The meetings are held once a month on the Independence Square green and the Independence memorial hall. Every session is filled with discussions, book reviews followed by snacks along with activities and games based on the books read by the kids. “For three meetings at a stretch I recommend books for the kids. So everyone reads the same book and shares the same base in analysing it. For the fourth meeting, they are free to read whatever book they like. When I choose a common theme, I always look for stories which are interesting and appealing to everybody,” Maria explains.
The membership fee is Rs. 1000, and fee per meeting (held once a month) – Rs. 500. For non-members the fee is Rs. 700 per meeting.
“I wish to become a reading advocate and want to show that reading English books is achievable to everybody if they are given a proper grounding and encouragement.” As a next step, Maria hopes to start up a creative writing circle for children where she would teach the techniques to write creatively and tips on how to put a story together.
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