JWN Foundation ignites love for reading through Anancy tales

Students at four Corporate Area primary schools benefited from a reading programme organised by JWN Foundation (JWNF) under a special partnership with celebrated broadcaster, actress, educator, cultural expert, and master storyteller Fae Ellington last month.

Held on April 21, the event was JWNF’s precursor to Read Across Jamaica Day 2026, being observed today, and saw Ellington sharing stories from two Jamaican titles — Br’er Anancy and the Magic Pot and Br’er Anancy and the Easter Egg Hunt — by VS Russell and illustrator Clovis Brown.

Aligned with this year’s theme of ‘Kindness and Community’, the books offer young readers familiar, engaging pathways to explore empathy, cooperation, responsibility and the consequences of choices through humour, adventure and storytelling they instinctively understand, JWNF explained.

Through dramatic narration, live performance, and enthusiastic audience participation, Ellington transformed the reading sessions into an immersive experience, inspiring children to listen deeply, participate fully and confidently seeing reading as not only enjoyable, but meaningful.

“Our folk stories have always been one of the most powerful ways we teach values,” a JWNF release quotes Ellington. “When children hear Anancy stories they are entertained, but they are also learning about sharing, responsibility and how their actions affect others. When reading feels familiar and fun, children are more willing to engage and to remember the lessons long after the story ends.”

“For me, this was also personal as these are the stories many of us grew up hearing, and it was special to see the children respond so openly and excitedly.”

The Anancy narratives reinforced timeless lessons about sharing, accountability and the strength of community, while grounding reading experiences in Jamaican culture and shared values.

Observed nationally during Education Week, Read Across Jamaica Day promotes the importance of reading while encouraging children to develop a lifelong love for books.

The foundation said that its approach this year reinforced that literacy becomes even more powerful when children can see their culture reflected in the stories, especially through folklore that has been passed down through generations via storytelling.

The four schools that benefited from the programme on April 21 were St Patrick’s Primary, Balmagie Primary, Seaward Primary, and Seaview Gardens Primary.

Today, the foundation volunteers will visit 14 focus schools across Kingston, Clarendon, and St Elizabeth, reading directly with students and supporting school-based literacy activities.

The foundation said that the visits form a core part of its commitment to meeting children where they are and reinforcing reading as a shared, positive experience.

“This year was very intentional for us,” the release quotes JWNF General Manager Garfene Grandison. “We wanted children to see reading as something that reflects who they are, the stories they know, and the values we want them to grow with. By using folklore and familiar characters like Anancy, we were able to connect literacy with kindness, community and culture in a very real way.

“Like many Jamaicans I grew up hearing these stories that provided vivid imagery and they remain with me to this day and the values still matter, so it was powerful to see thousands of children connecting with the message in real time,” he added.

Celebrated broadcaster, actress, educator, and cultural expert Fae Ellington reading the story of Br’er Anancy and the Magic Pot to the students at JWN Foundation’s Kingston focus schools on April 21, in the foundation’s run-up to Read Across Jamaica Day. (Photos: Mohic Ferguson)