Sixty lucky kids got an opportunity on Saturday, June 25, to attend the special storytime session
‘Once upon a book,’ hosted by the Cinnamon Grand at Nuga Gama.
 |
| Kids with Sybil Nanda under the 200-year-old Banyan tree at
Nuga Gama. |
 |
| Sybil Nanda reading the stories |
 |
| Bookworms at the book sale organized by the
Kiyawana Nuwana Bookshop. |
 |
| Teams playing the village game |
 |
| Sybil Nanda signing books |
The session was done by Sri Lanka’s leading author and illustrator of children’s stories, Mrs. Sybil Wettasinghe at Nuga Gama, the village in the city.
Mrs. Wettasinghe, fondly known as “Sybil Nanda” read ‘The Disobedient Prince’, a story on what happens to a royal prince who disobeys his parents and ‘The Runaway Beard’ - a tale of a magical beard that almost wraps up an entire village until a little mouse comes to its rescue, at this session.
Mrs. Wettasinghe, who has over 200 publications to her credit, attributes her love for children “as the force behind her gift of story telling and writing,” and that certainly showed at the workshop, right through her patient book signing session to the reading of two books in Sinhalese and English, on their request.
‘Sybil Nanda’ read in her gentle but clear voice, which had a magic of its own. She also shared plenty of interesting anecdotes, as well as childhood pranks, she herself had played!
One of the most significant moments at the session was when she handed over a special bookmark created especially for the occasion.
The beautifully illustrated bookmark had an environmental message for the kids’ visiting Nuga Gama.
Mrs. Wettasinghe said that Nuga Gama is
reminiscent of her own village, which she loves and she was inspired to do something for the children who come to learn under the 200-year-old banyan tree!
Sybil Nanda encouraged the children to think about doing their part for protecting the environment and said that some of her best stories were inspired by what she saw in nature.
“There’s so much we can learn and observe from Mother Nature. You must learn to love and respect her,” she told her rapt audience.
Children who attended the event also got an
opportunity, to share their work, and improve ways of writing.
This was followed by a traditional game, which gave the children a chance to observe village life, as well as test their word skills.
That’s not all, there were yummy village snacks,
special prizes and giveaways to complete an afternoon of learning and fun at Nuga Gama. |
E-mail
