There is a new resident in the resort town of Ocho Rios and he comes with good news for the kids.

Kellie Magnus brought her Little Lion series of children's books to Ocho Rios on Saturday, reading to kids from primary and prep schools in St Ann, as the St Ann Chamber of Commerce opened its reading centre, as part of The Source resource centre.

Magnus read from the three books in the series, namely, Little Lion Goes to School, Little Lion Goes for Gold, and Little Lion at Bat.

"I don't get many opportu-nities to read outside of Kingston, so I was really happy to bring these stories to children in another part of the island," Magnus told The Gleaner after the event.

Several children, accompanied by a few adults, turned out for the opening of the reading centre, located on a complex in the Pineapple area of Ocho Rios, which also houses the chambers' office.

The children appeared quite appreciative and seemed to have enjoyed themselves, several of them leaving with copies of the books.

The reading centre came into being following a request from Jamaica National Foundation, which had donated $2.5 million to establish The Source, which opened earlier this year.

Invited children

Director and past president of the chamber, Norma Walters, explained, "We invited children from primary and prep schools from St Ann mainly, working with the Junior Chamber, to introduce them to the facility".

Meanwhile, Magnus said that next year she would release three more books in the Little Lion series, a series that began in 2003.

Before that, though, in December, she will release a book on Jamaican street foods, looking at the various types of foods available to purchase on the streets of Jamaica. The book will be published by MacMillan.

Magnus, daughter of popular radio personality, Alan Magnus, has been writing for years and has published over a dozen books, including books for the Ministry of Education's Literacy 1-2-3 programme, and one that was part of a package designed for children with autism and published in the United States.

The Little Lion stories are written by Magnus with illustrations by Michael Robinson. - Photo by Carl Gilchrist