SHAH ALAM, Dec 7: Parents can play a key role in inculcating an interest and passion for reading among their children from a young age.
This was quite apparent at the Selangor International Book Fair 2025 being held at the Setia City Conference Centre here as families including grandparents were seen accompanying their young ones in search of good books to buy and read.
The book fair, which will conclude this evening, is expected to draw a bigger crowd during the weekend as it would provide people more time to check out the fair and the huge variety of books the participating book retailers are offering. Many of these books are going at highly discounted rates, a participant said.
Many parents were seen nudging their children towards the books on display for sale while some children needed no encouragement and were seen independently selecting the books for potential buy.
At the booth of the University Book Store, which is one among the many book retailers participating in the fair, fiction books formed the major buy among the younger children, the counter sales person said. “These included comic books that seem to stir the curious and adventurous nature of children,” she added.
At another booth, promoting Tamil books, both fiction and non fiction, the counter person said the crowd was not as high as anticipated during the week but was hoping for better turnout during the weekend. She, however, noted that reading has remained a good hobby for many children.
“Many children, accompanied by their parents have picked up our Tamil story books for children. The colourful illustrations and interesting stories seemed to attract them,” she said, hoping that more would turn up to buy the books at the fair.
She also said challenges may be there for those coming from outside Shah Alam, but still there are those who have been driving down to the convention centre from as far as Puchong to purchase some books.
For those living near the convention centre, one trip to the fair has not been enough. For one housewife, Friday was her third trip to the book fair with her son. She also bought books all the three times.
“The prices were alright, so we bought these books. My son likes reading a particular series of illustrated books,” she said.
Participants at the fair included small time traders from various parts of Selangor including Sungai Buloh, Puchong, displaying their various items such as popular local cookies to potted plants and fresh fruits.
Food stalls at the fair meanwhile provided comfortable food and drinks break for those visiting the book fair.
–WE