With a warm smile and a passion for literature, a dedicated library assistant at Tokyo Sexwale Library in Jeffreys Bay, Carmen Honey Brook, is inspiring a love of reading in the next generation.
She devotes her time to helping children from her community to discover the joy of reading, unlocking the magic of books, and empowering them to reach their full potential, one page at a time.
Honey Brook has been working at this library as an assistant for six years and has seen many children from the community spend their afternoons reading, doing research for school projects, or completing their schoolwork.
In an era dominated by digital information, she said libraries continue to provide low-cost access to a vast and diverse collection of books, literary resources, educational materials, and historical archives.
With the large quantity of resources available to the public, Honey Brook further said the library promotes literacy and fosters a love of reading.
“Libraries offer programmes and resources for children, adults, and families, to improve literacy skills and encourage life-long learning,” said Honey Brook.
She said reading helps children improve cognitive skills, enlightens new ideas, and develops critical thinking skills.
Sadly, Honey Brook said that at the library they have seen many children battle to read, especially children in Grades 4 and 5.
With years of experience, she can easily pick out the children who are struggling to read when they are in groups, as they often page through books, drawn to the pictures rather than taking their time to read the words on each page.
Fortunately, once she or one of her colleagues identify a child struggling to read, Honey Brook said they spring into action, offering personalised support and guidance to help them overcome their challenges, and build confidence in their reading abilities.
“Since thousands of learners and adults lack basic literacy and numeracy skills, early exposure to books helps children develop vocabulary and language skills,” said Honey Brook.
“Reading is also an opportunity to unwind, keeping your mind active and engaged.”
One remarkable story that Honey Brook remembers is when an eight-year-old girl who spoke English, Afrikaans, and Xhosa with ease, began visiting the library regularly and spent hours reading all sorts of books.
Despite being multi-lingual, she said the young girl battled to read Afrikaans books and sought her expertise to overcome this hurdle. With a new-found challenge, Honey Brook was determined to help the girl master reading in Afrikaans.
“To help her, I first began using resources we have available at the library, such as the alphabet letters which she used to spell her name. We then moved on to spelling and pronouncing words in Afrikaans and gradually she increased her Afrikaans reading vocabulary. Thereafter, we focused on reading one sentence each day,” said Honey Brook.
With patience and practice, she said the little girl’s reading skills began to flourish, and gradually she was able to read Afrikaans books with ease and confidence.
Now, five years later, Honey Brook said the avid reader still visits the library regularly and has received “flying colours” for Afrikaans in her school report.
“I’ve had the joy of witnessing her progress first-hand, as she proudly shared her report card with me at the end of each term. Over the years, I’ve seen her Afrikaans grades steadily rise, a clear testament to her dedication and hard work,” said Honey Brook.
She further said the little girl, who recently celebrated her 13th birthday, is one of many success stories they have had the pleasure of witnessing.
Upon hearing about the good work done at the library, Honey Brook said that many parents have requested their assistance to help their children improve their literacy skills.
With a heart full of gratitude, Honey Brook thanked God for blessing her with the opportunity to make a positive impact in her community, and she also expressed her appreciation for the trust that parents have placed in the staff at the library, which has enabled them to play a role in shaping the lives of their children.
She further extended her gratitude to her dedicated colleague, Mbuyi Gonya, and supportive manager, Linda Jack, for their invaluable assistance.
In addition, Honey Brook thanked Tanja Lategan for sponsoring the library with goodies for their monthly programmes. To continue helping children in their community and helping to expand their knowledge, she has requested that the public donate children’s English and Afrikaans books to the library.
