Published:Monday | May 30, 2016 | 12:00 AM

This smiling group of children is ready for their first Hope Zoo experience last Friday at the ‘Reading is cool’ event hosted by Sagicor Foundation and Lasco iCool.

Sagicor Foundation and LASCO iCool recently partnered to féte more than 300 students from across the island to a day of fun, frolic, and ‘edutainment’ at the Hope Zoo. The event was dubbed ‘Reading is Cool’.

It was held to honour the nation’s children, which was a part of the thrust by both companies to culminate Child Month activities. The students were chosen from Sagicor’s existing list of Adopt-a-school locations from across the island, as well as schools that have a close relationship with the LASCO Group.

Children from four to 14 years old were transported from all across the island for the day’s festivities. Besides the fun and games that were a part of the day, a major part of

the day’s activities was the Reading Stage where various personalities, including Jamaican authors Tanya Batson-Savage and Rebecca Harper read to the children. The Anancy Stage was the focal attraction of the event as famed poet Amina Blackwood Meeks took the students on a journey, telling tales of the famed spider in an effort to reintroduce our Jamaican folklore. This event is the first of a two-part series as the Sagicor Foundation and LASCO iCool prepare to embark on an all-island book drive throughout the summer. Both companies are committed to the development and nurturing of Jamaica’s youth.