MOST other children her age spend hours playing games in the street.
But not Haantebale Ratau.
Every Friday after school, this grade 5 pupil from Kenton Primary School, visits Alberton Library. She borrows one or two books to read over the next week or two. When she finishes the books, she returns them and finds new ones to read.
Her love of books and reading bloomed like a sudden flower last year and now she adores books more than anything else.
“Every time I read novels, I gain knowledge,” said Haantebale.
“Reading is important. It develops my mind and I get to learn the meanings of new words every day.”
Her new passion makes both her parents and teachers proud. One of her teachers even wrote her parents a letter thanking them for supporting her interest in reading – it has boosted her performance at school.
But the power of reading was demonstrated when she took part in the a spelling bee challenge and won the title of top grade 5 speller.
The city of Ekurhuleni’s spelling bee competition is aimed at kids in grades 4 to 6 and are held in various public libraries. The most recent was held at a Boksburg library.
The aim of the spelling bee is to encourage children to visit libraries to read, for research and to find any information they need.
Pupils are separated every year according to their school grades and the library they represent.
There were four spellers for each grade. The competition saw 36 spellers battling it out on stage for the top honours.
