“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” This quote was by one of the brightest human beings that ever existed- Albert Einstein.
During my Bookwallah journeys in emerging nations, it has been interesting to discover the number of people who do not truly understand the value of storybooks as Albert Einstein once did. It has been even more interesting to discover that Bookwallah can potentially drive change in this belief. “Fun books” can indeed help with emotional and intellectual intelligence. Example, did you know that 15 minutes a day of independent reading can expose children to more than a million words of text in a year?
While I cannot claim to to be in the same realm as Albert Einstein, I can honestly say that those late nights of reading Gone with the Wind with my closet lights switched on, Beauty and the Beast, Nancy Drew, Harriet the Spy, and Phyllis Whitney mysteries helped me develop a strong talent for bringing “abstract ideas to life”- a skill I used for the past 15+ years in the corporate/start-up world.
I believe the global economic downtown and the recent passing away of great individuals such as Steve Jobs will move people to seek, to understand, and to “imagine” ways for better experiences. Individuals will have to learn to innovate, create, and explore areas no one has dreamed of before. Imagination is survival. Sounds exciting doesn’t it? So, spread the word and make imagination easy for the next generation. You can either encourage children to spend time with their heads buried in textbooks and create a generation of average or share the gift of imagination and inspire them to be the next Richard Branson, Steve Jobs, Albert Einstein, Pramoedya Ananta Toer, President Obama, J.K. Rowling, Salman Rushdie, Oprah, or Sachin Tendulkar! Lives created with an abundance of Imagination and a dose of Albert’s advice.
“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.” Mark Twain
Bookwallah helps sharpen the imagination of children all over the world and ultimately helps them more confidently rely on their eyes to get them through life! Yes indeed, children are better equiped through books to “imagine” ways for better experiences. Thank you for an enlightening blog! May the efforts of the this organization help prepare our leaders of tomorrow!