Blind Retelling: Why World Book Day Goes Beyond Reading at DCB
Last week, Dulwich College Beijing held a multitude of events across the College that celebrated World Book Day. But what is the importance of celebrating books and reading?
DCB Librarians
Perhaps the best person to answer this question is our World Book Day guest international storyteller Andrew Wright, who comes from a line of matriarchs who were visually impaired. The Kiwi native’s love and amazing talent for storytelling stems from his days hearing stories from his mother, whose inability to read print books didn’t stop her from opening his mind to new discoveries and new worlds through the power of oral storytelling. She brewed in him a love for the medium that inspired his journey from listener to librarian and then eventually globetrotting storyteller, retelling folk tales and stories from around the globe to audiences in now over 50 countries and now to students and teachers across different year levels at Dulwich College Beijing.
For World Book Day, we encouraged our community to embrace stories in various ways, such as dressing up in their favourite book characters, hosting Parent Readings in DUCKS, library readings by teachers in Junior School and a Read Around the World kick-off, daily challenges in the Senior School library such as Jeopardy and Mr Cole-Bee’s Spelling Quiz and more. Different year levels were also captivated by Mr. Wright's mystical worlds, hanging on every word he uttered.
World Book Day extends beyond the holding of a physical book in one’s hand or celebrating the beautiful libraries we have; it’s about celebrating the universal magic of stories and the diverse ways they can shape our identities, enrich our lives and transcend barriers. It is a reminder of the power of stories to educate, inspire and empower, and its ability to bridge divides and unite everyone in a shared journey of exploration, enlightenment and the love for lifelong learning.
As Mr Wright said, storytelling is very powerful, and everyone has a story to tell – and I agree. Regardless of age and background, stories restore, revitalise and re-energise us, and the ability to be able to tell it and share experiences is what makes storytelling a lifelong learning experience.
