Parramatta City Library NYR ambassador, councillor Michael McDermott has this to say about being an ambassador, and joy of reading.
What it means to you to be a National Year of Reading Ambassador for Parramatta Library
I am delighted to be a reading ambassador. As the father of 3 children I know the importance of reading, not just for children but for all people.Readingis the key to literacy, education & attainment.
On this basis it is remarkably important that we continuously encourage and support children in their reading.
A list of your 5 favourite books – and if you wish to comment on why they are important to you
1) The Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy by Douglas Adams. A fabulously funny book that parodies life and the realities of the world.
2) Birdsong by Sebastion Faulks. a remarkable and historically acurate story about the triumph of the human spirit. I love how it takes us back into the sorts of lives our grandparents may have lived amidst the tragedy and misery of war.
3) Hairy MacLary from Donaldson’s Dairy by Lynley Dodd. I love this book as I used to read it to my children and I knew it off by heart. The words are fun and seem to bounce off the page. Its a great book for having fun reading with Children. It’s so simple but a verbal masterpiece, I find myself even now recalling all of the lines. There are few books you can say that about.
4) Year of wonders by Geraldine Brooke. It’s a fantastic story written in a style and English that takes some getting used to. It is a story of the best and the worst of the human spirit when faced with adversity. I probably thought of it as I have recently finished it and recommended it to friends.
5) Animal Farm by George Orwell. I recently re-read it to help my daughter with an assignment on it. It’s a remarkably written piece about society, by someone who understood human nature. While an aalagory it was a crystal ball into what was about to happen inEuropeat the time of its writing. I guess I love books that tell a story without actually saying it explicitly.
A comment about National Year of Reading campaign
I commend and thank anyone who is associated with the National Year of Reading campaign.We often say that Education is the key to social mobility, reading is the key to education and learning, that’s one of the reasons it is so important and needs support from all levels of government.