September is National Literacy Month in the United States and 8 September is International Literacy Day.
To celebrate these observations and to promote literacy in the Cayman Islands, Next Chapter is honouring Literacy Month by celebrating the anniversary of some of the store's most popular books and authors.
With lots of rain in the forecast this month and next, it's a great time to rekindle your relationship with the written word with this collection of classics and local favourites that are perfect reading material for the whole family.
Camana Bay and Next Chapter want to know what you’re reading during Literacy Month. Hashtag #CamanaBay when you post on social media and start the conversation with your friends and family.
Celebrating 5 Years
Local author and Camana Bay Times columnist Faye Lippitt first published her beloved favourite, “The Great Caribbean Chicken Caper: Sixteen Chickens on a Trampoline” in 2016. Chickens are a familiar sight to all who live or visit the Cayman Islands, but form the basis of just one of Lippitt's many stories about raising six children — and two sets of twins.
Celebrating 15 Years
The film adaptation of the classic children’s novel, “Charlotte’s Web,” penned by E.B. White, was released 15 years ago. Plan a movie day or night with the family and then supplement it by reading the original book at bedtime so your children can relive the heartwarming story of a pig named Wilbur and his friendship with a barn spider named Charlotte.
Celebrating 50 Years
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it’s not.” That famous phrase was penned by Dr. Seuss 50 years ago in 1971 in the first publication of “The Lorax." The famous furry friend remains an inspiration for many and a great reminder that community starts at home.
Celebrating 95 Years
Take a trip to the Hundred Acre Wood and revisit your old friend Christopher Robin, because Winnie the Pooh is officially 95 years old. Author A.A. Milne's famous characters first appeared in a story called "The Wrong Sort of Bees" in the "London Evening News" on Christmas Eve, 1925. The book "Winnie-the-Pooh" followed in 1926, and a second book, "The House at Pooh Corner," was published in 1928. These timeless books tell tales of friendship and are filled with life lessons and anecdotes that are remembered for life.
Celebrating 150 Years
After her first trip to Wonderland, Alice made her way “Through the Looking-Glass” 150 years ago, when the sequel to "Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland" was first published. Alice is a mainstay in popular culture, referenced in numerous songs and writings, and the inspiration for several television shows and films. Revisit this classic Lewis Carroll novel and rediscover why it is a beloved tale with children and adults alike.
This article originally appeared in the September 2021 print edition of Camana Bay Times.
About the author
Alanna Warwick-Smith is a senior marketing communications coordinator supporting the business development and real estate marketing team for Dart. Alanna has worked in Dart’s flagship development of Camana Bay for the past nine years, when she began her career working at the town’s bookstore. A lover of the written word, Alanna reads and writes poetry in her spare time, and has written content for a range of platforms in the past, including her own blog and Camana Bay Times. You can find her in line at Foster’s every morning waiting for her large iced coffee with oat milk!