Donald
Teuma-Castelletti
CAMPBELL’S BAY
Jan. 6, 2018
An event encouraging reading welcomed children to The Lighthouse Bookstore where they had the opportunity to hear a story from a local author and make crafts with her artist counterpart.
A Family Story and Art Workshop was put on by the Western Quebec Literacy Council (WQLC), where the story and crafts revolved around some cute kittens, in buildup to Family Literacy Day on Jan. 27.
“January is Family Literacy Month,” said Michèle Gagnon, executive director for the WQLC. “The whole purpose is to promote literacy in the family, by putting down the tablets, turning off the television, etc.”
The event started with a reading of Grandma’s Lost Kittens at the Shawville Fair, as read by the author Muriel Davis, before children learned how to make their own kittens out of everyday objects. The book’s artist, Tina Michaud, led the children in their kitten crafts, which they quickly named after the various kittens in the book.

“I was really glad when [Gagnon] said we can do an art activity after we read the book,” said Michaud.
Michaud said she was happy to include the craft portion because she knows that not all children are going to enjoy reading and literacy in the traditional sense. Some children, herself included, learn better through visuals.
“I think you have to simplify everything. I myself had trouble reading aloud, as a child,” said Michaud. “I’ve worked a lot with children and seen how children learn differently.”
Michaud said that this was the first time they had the chance to host a craft alongside their story and had run through a lot of different ideas as to what was going to work best, in the simplest forms.
Gagnon said that she and the WQLC were thrilled to invite the local author and artist to their literacy event, as they’d have a more personal touch with sharing their story with the children.
“We’re happy to have local authors to work with, instead of reading another picture book,” said Gagnon.
Gagnon said that the event, and the whole Family Literacy Month, is meant to encourage parents to develop more time for reading in their homes.
“Children model the acts they see,” said Gagnon. “If they see their parents reading, they’ll do more of that.”
The workshop saw over 10 kids come out, and was put on through a partnership between the WQLC, The Parents’ Voice and The Lighthouse Bookstore.
Tracey Latreille, owner of The Lighthouse Bookstore, said that she hopes to continue hosting such events throughout the year, starting in March
“I want to make it a regular thing, every couple of months,” said Latreille. “We don’t have anything like this in Campbell’s Bay.”
She said that she’s going to be looking for volunteers to read at these events, from members of the community who have the time to join them.
“My fondest memories were going to story times as a kid,” said Latreille. “The way Muriel [Davis] read the story captivated the children, they followed along and paid attention, and that’s what kids need.”
Alongside this event, the WQLC has provided a family literacy bingo card online, which families can print and fill in the squares as they complete the activities. Each line of the bingo card that’s finished will enter the family in a draw for backpack full of goodies.
“Our mission is for adults, but family literacy falls into that,” said Gagnon, of the WQLC.