Read to Rise has launched a new wordless book for young children at three early childhood development centres in Mitchells Plain.

The organisation introduced its second wordless book, Oaket Goes to Sleep, by Athol Williams and Taryn Lock, at 3 Bears Educare, Charmy’s Little Ponds and Linda’s Little Explorers on 23 September. It is the 11th book in the Oaky series.

Oaket Goes to Sleep tells the story of a little acorn named Oaket who cannot fall asleep. With the help of her brother Oaky, Oaket discovers that bedtime is not as scary or lonely as it seems. The story reminds young readers that things are often better than they imagine.

How wordless books help

Wordless books are stories told entirely through pictures, with no words. They help children develop literacy, critical thinking and creativity, allowing children of all ages and language abilities to create their own stories. These books are ideal for building comprehension, vocabulary and visual literacy skills.

Teacher Mia Sickle said the book will benefit children who struggle with reading words. “This book will help many children with picture reading. It is useful for children who struggle with words and taking them back to picture reading supports all age groups and encourages imagination,” she said.

The children were excited to see the Read to Rise team for the second time this year. 275 children each received their own copy of Oaket Goes to Sleep to take home.

Reaching more children

With support from This Day Foundation, a UK charitable foundation that helps young people in South Africa and the UK access opportunities, and in collaboration with the Tshikululu Trust, Read to Rise will reach 2 000 children across 40 early childhood development centres this year. Thirty of these centres are in Mitchells Plain and 10 are in Soweto.

Each centre will receive a mini-library with 50 new books. The Read to Rise team will deliver two class programmes at each centre, and each child will receive two new books to take home.

A reading crisis

In South Africa, 81% of Grade 4 learners cannot read for meaning, according to the latest Progress in International Reading Literacy Study report. A study by the Department of Basic Education and UNICEF South Africa found that 43% of households have no access to books.

The 2023 National Reading Survey found that two-thirds of homes with children under 10 do not have a single children’s book, and only 10% have more than 10 books. This means many children in South Africa start school without having had access to important early learning experiences at home.

About Read to Rise

Read to Rise hopes to instil a love of reading in children through its class programmes, book ownership and mini-libraries. The organisation currently works with 16 000 Grade 2 and 3 learners at 57 primary schools in Mitchells Plain and Soweto.

“We are excited to partner with the Tshikululu Trust so that we can offer our class programmes to ECDs in under-resourced communities. Reading is the first step towards getting a good education; the earlier children love to read and have access to books, the better,” said executive director Taryn Lock.

Read to Rise was founded in 2013 as a non-profit organisation that promotes youth literacy in under-resourced communities in South Africa. The organisation hopes to inspire children to read so they can rise above their circumstances. To date, Read to Rise has handed out more than 430 000 new storybooks.

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