It’s the school holidays, and children will either be travelling or getting their share of play during this much-needed break.
But a six-year-old girl named Calla has chosen to make visiting every public library in Singapore a goal instead — such is her voracious love for reading.
As her mother, a teacher named Pearline, shares with MS News, Calla has visited 13 libraries already during these holidays alone, borrowing tons of books with every visit.
Image courtesy of Pearline
She hopes to visit the remaining 12 public libraries during her next school holiday.
The library adventures began when Calla requested to explore other libraries in Singapore instead of their usual neighbour library.
Usually, she visits the library weekly, but since it was the school holidays, her family, residing in Yio Chu Kang, decided to spend the time exploring Singapore’s various public libraries.
After all, Singapore isn’t that large, and most libraries are accessible via public transport. Pearline began to take Calla and her two younger siblings to different libraries around the island.
Image courtesy of Pearline
Sometimes, Calla’s father will drop them off along the way when he’s making his way to teach, but buses and trains are mainly how the family travels.
During each visit, Calla will borrow around a whopping 13 books.
Here are the libraries they’ve visited so far:
The family of educators bred a love for reading in Calla when Pearline started reading flashcards to her when she was just six months old.
Pearline then began to read to her when she turned one, and by the time she was three, Calla could read on her own. Her reading appetite has only grown since.
Image courtesy of Pearline
Her favourite books include books by Roald Dahl, the Horrid Henry series by Francesca Simon, the Megabat series by Anna Humphrey, as well as comics like Smart Mathematicians and Young Scientists.
Image courtesy of Pearline
Pearline shares that Calla hopes to inspire others to read and appreciate our local libraries as well:
Compared to many developing countries, Calla feels blessed and fortunate when we have a wide range of books readily available on hand.
Indeed, there’s a library in almost every neighbourhood, and it’s all free too.
It’s never too early to appreciate the written word. Having successfully influenced her two siblings to read as she does, Calla is proof that Singapore’s libraries and books still have their charm in this fast-paced digital world.
Though the school holidays are ending soon, why not visit a library near you when you’re free?
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Featured image courtesy of Pearline.
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