JWN Foundation taps Fae Ellington and Anancy folklore to reach 4,000 pupils on Read Across Jamaica Day

An age-old character from the island's storytelling tradition is being put to work for a present-day cause. The JWN Foundation (JWNF) has leaned on Anancy, Jamaica's beloved trickster spider, to nurture kindness, a sense of community and a habit of reading in more than 4,000 primary-school pupils.

Few narratives are as woven into Jamaican identity as the Anancy cycle, stories that have transmitted values, fired the imagination and passed wisdom from one generation to the next. That cultural weight prompted JWNF to anchor its Read Across Jamaica Day activities on two homegrown titles written by V.S. Russell and illustrated by Clovis Brown: Br'er Anancy and the Magic Pot and Br'er Anancy and the Easter Egg Hunt.

A centrepiece of the day was a collaboration with master storyteller Fae Ellington, who guided an interactive central reading with pupils from four Kingston schools. Using theatrical delivery and call-and-response with her young audience, she turned the readings into hands-on experiences that drew the children in and held their attention.

"Our folk stories have always been one of the most powerful ways we teach values," Ellington said. "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," she added.

The two books give young readers an approachable route into themes of empathy, cooperation and accountability, delivered through the kind of humour and storytelling rhythm that Jamaican children naturally pick up on. Rooted in narratives carried for centuries through oral tradition, the campaign reached 14 schools across Kingston, Clarendon and St Elizabeth.

Through that reach, the Anancy tales carried forward familiar lessons about sharing, taking responsibility and looking out for one another, while tying reading firmly to Jamaican cultural soil. For JWNF, the goal stretched beyond simply encouraging children to pick up books — it was about making the act of reading meaningful in their daily lives.

Read Across Jamaica Day, marked today as part of the Jamaica Teachers' Association's Education Week, is intended to grow children's love of reading and their lasting connection to books.

In addition to the flagship session, JWNF volunteers fanned out to 14 schools to read alongside pupils and assist with literacy exercises, reinforcing the idea that reading is a shared and enjoyable activity.

"This year was very intentional for us," said Garfene Grandison, general manager of the JWNF. "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 said.