On the afternoon of 19 January, the first reading session of the HuiYue Reading Parent Book Club, jointly launched by FOW and the Library, concluded successfully.

Centred on reading as a shared bond and guided by the original intention of growing together through parent-child engagement and building a culture of reading at home, this event created a dedicated platform for parents to exchange ideas, learn and grow. The atmosphere was warm and engaging, participation was active and effective, and the event achieved very positive outcomes.

The objectives of this reading session were clear. First, to use reading as a bridge to strengthen parent-child relationships, nurture a reading-rich family environment, and support shared growth. Second, to empower parents with scientific and practical methods of reading guidance, helping children develop strong reading habits, sustained interest and improved overall reading ability. Third, to establish a dedicated space for parents to exchange reading experiences, enabling personal growth and enrichment of the inner world through dialogue.

The session began with an ice-breaking activity using a reading-themed word chain. Parents enthusiastically shared vivid words that reflected their understanding of and passion for reading, quickly dissolving any unfamiliarity and warming the atmosphere. During the expectations sharing segment, parents spoke sincerely about their hopes. Many expressed a desire to gain deeper value from their reading through methods such as reading journals and mind maps. Their seriousness and commitment to reading further strengthened our determination to run the club well.

Through collective discussion, the club was officially named HuiYue Reading. Hui represents both Wellington and inclusiveness, and Yue symbolises joy. Together, the name reflects the hope that the joy of reading will benefit every Wellington family and that all participants will gain happiness and growth through reading.

At the same time, the club's future core theme was confirmed as Enjoying Shared Parent-Child Reading Time. The first shared reading selection was the classic parenting guide, The Read-Aloud Handbook, by Jim Trelease. The book focuses on common challenges in parent-child reading, such as a decline in children's interest as they grow older, and provides practical, actionable solutions to help parents guide their children to fall in love with reading in a scientific and effective way.

During the session, we also clarified membership benefits and daily guidelines to ensure the club operates in a structured and orderly manner. To make reading resources easily accessible, the Library introduced its digital resources, including a vast e-book collection, the BrainPOP learning platform and the Flipster magazine database. These free school-based digital resources provide strong support for home reading for both parents and children. Parents expressed great enthusiasm and anticipation for using these resources.

The successful launch of the first reading session laid a warm and solid foundation for the HuiYue Reading Parent Book Club. In the future, we will continue to focus on Enjoying Shared Parent-Child Reading Time and conduct in-depth shared reading and discussion around The Read-Aloud Handbook. We aim to help parents address various challenges in parent-child reading while continuously enriching activity formats and improving resource support so that the power of reading can reach every family.

We sincerely invite more parents to join the HuiYue Reading Parent Book Club. Let us take books as our companions and reading as our bond, accompany our children's growth through shared reading and achieve self-improvement through exchange and sharing. Let us work together to build a strong family reading culture so that every child can fall in love with reading and every parent can discover a better version of themselves on this warm and inspiring journey.

——FOW Parent Reading Club and

Hangzhou Wellington College Library Team