Jamaican Books Presented to Canadian School

Students and teachers at a school in Toronto, Canada, will be learning more about Jamaica, thanks to a donation of books by Jamaica’s Consul General to Toronto, Anne-Marie Bonner.
The Consul General recently presented more than 20 books on a wide-range of topics to North Kipling Junior Middle School in West Toronto.
Miss Bonner said the books were received from the University of the West Indies Press and their local distributors, Scholarly Books Services Inc.
The donation came as a result of discussions held last year between Miss Bonner and John Hastings, a Trustee with the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), on how to deepen understanding of the Caribbean among Canadian students.
The Consul General expressed pleasure at being instrumental in assisting with the young people’s understanding of the region. “This is a modest donation, but it is a small step that can go a long way to complement the excellent public library system here in Toronto. The titles cover a wide range of subjects – history, women’s issues, education and culture. It reflects the work of some of our outstanding authors and it is a fine selection that I know you will find interesting and stimulating,” she said.
Some of the titles include, ‘The Earliest Inhabitants: The Dynamics of the Jamaica Taino’, ‘African Runaways and Maroons in the Americas’, ‘Jamaican Athletics: A Model for the World’, ‘The Chinese in the West Indies, 1806-1995’, and ‘From Jamaican Creole to Standard English: A Handbook for Teachers’.
Several publications by the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) were also donated to the school, including ‘The Government of Jamaica’, ‘Our Culinary Heritage’, ‘Our Cultural Heritage’, ‘A Fi Wi Culture’ and ‘Rhythms – Jamaica’s Heritage in Music and Dance’.The Consul General urged the children to make good use of the publications. “Reading will be a vital skill for your future. Enjoy reading as it opens a whole world of possibilities, not just for career choice but for your enjoyment and fulfillment,” she said.Thanking the Consul General was the principal of North Kipling Junior Middle School, Lesa Semcesen.