A retired educator has launched a YouTube channel dedicated to storytelling, aiming to ignite a passion for reading in young children.

Thompson said that she had her eyes set on imparting knowledge in the classroom since her tender years.

Thompson now resides in the United States and has so far narrated four stories about the mischievous spider Anancy, a character deeply embedded in the island’s folk culture.

“In my time in the classroom as a student and as an early childhood teacher, I always thought that socialisation was so important a tool for children to learn what it is about our culture that we have to embrace and love,” Thompson said.

In addition to providing good entertainment value and facilitating the spending of quality family time, she explained that storytelling is also an excellent way to broaden children’s vocabularies, sharpen their memories, nurture their natural curiosity, and help them with social and articulation skills.