By Abraham Olatokunbo
In a significant move that will further boost children’s literature and offer the young ones variety, seasoned author and journalist, Bisi Daniels, has released ten books all at once.
The ten books, part of the Glory Supplementary Readers Series, were released on Wednesday on Creations Books, an imprint of Busy Creations Limited, which also publishes QUICKREAD, a fast-growing online paper
While six of the novels are new, four are reissues, revised to meet the demands of parents and children requesting them.
The six new books are the Oil Boys Trilogy, comprising ‘Game Changer’, ‘The Fire’ and ‘The Eyewitness,’ highlighting issues in the oil and gas industry in Nigeria.
They are the first of this kind in the industry in Nigeria, where Daniels worked for over ten years.
About the trilogy, Daniels explains that, “The Oil Boys series is meant to bridge the knowledge gap of children and the youth about the oil and gas industry in Nigeria.”
There is another trilogy, ‘Mr Roadman 1, 2, 3,’ teaching about road safety and obedience to traffic rules.
“It is also important for children to know the risk they face on the roads; and how adults, sometimes their parents, contribute to it,” says Daniels.
The four reissues are ‘The Crusader’, ‘The Price of Greed’, ‘The Unresolved Riddle’ and ‘Working Against Nature’.
‘The Crusader’ exposes the danger corruption poses to the upbringing of youths, human values and national development.
Jimoh Hassan, the book’s hero, is an anti-corruption crusader. He is intelligent, disciplined, faithful, honest, and committed to the discharge of his duties as a class prefect. But his reputation is threatened when a stolen wrist watch is planted on him.
The reissue, ‘The Price of Greed’, is a didactic story that teaches children the dangers of jealousy, envy, greed and wickedness. It highlights fundamental human values, captures aberrations and solicits a “live and let live” attitude to life.
‘The Unresolved Riddle’ encourages tolerance, mutual understanding, respect and peaceful coexistence in all communities.
‘Working Against Nature’, highlights the dangers of over-pampering children, especially by mothers. It is a story of hard work in school, victory over the poverty of parents, hope and rejuvenation for prosperity.
In a foreword to the four new books, the late Dean of the Faculty of Education, University of Lagos, Professor Duro Ajeyalemi, commended their quality and the author’s effort.
He noted that “The storyline speaks to each reader in a way that is entirely personal. The various thematic pre-occupation include marriage, greed, pride, reward, religion, etc. The language is lucid, free, precise and fresh. This gives the real beauty to which every reader could relate without getting bored.
“The author’s easy but firm control of the English Language and the individual quality of the prose reveal themselves vividly in all the chapters.
“Particularly striking are the logical flow of ideas and the skilful ordering of sentences, which result in a convincing description of the activities and sequences of the narrative plot.”
Professor Ajeyalemi added: “The books are educational as strong focus is given to all vocabulary. A lot of humour is also brought into play, and apt images were used to capture the flavour of the prosaic verses.
“Finally, the author has made considerable effort in producing storybooks whose originality is not in doubt. The books are interesting, distinctive and appealing.
“They are masterpieces, which re-echo the consciousness of all concerned with adolescent crisis, indiscipline, corruption, cultism, nepotism, etc., as the bane of the Nigerian society.”
Commenting on the goals of Glory Supplementary Readers Series, Daniels, the author of thrillers including ‘Conspiracy of Lagos’, ‘The Girl from Nigeria’, and ‘Harvest of Beauty’, said it is to encourage children to read both in and outside school.
He said, “Multiple studies have shown that the effects of reading on child development are vast and emphasised the need for teachers and parents to ensure that reading is a key part of children’s daily routine.
.“According to experts, some of the major benefits include exercising the brain of readers in a better way than watching television as it strengthens brain connections and builds new ones.
“Children, who read often and widely get better at it and improve concentration.”
The author of the acclaimed ‘Stories of Pastor E. A. Adeboye: The Power of Testimony,’ who was also a teacher, added: “Reading develops children’s imagination as they can imagine how the characters are feeling; and is also an excellent form of entertainment. These and more are benefits the Glory Supplementary Readers seek to harvest.
He said the books, as well as his 12 other books, are available at CSS Bookshops nationwide and other outlets.
