Oxford University Press Launches “Dragonfly Readers” & “Oxford Reading Buddy” for Children

Oxford University Press (OUP) launched Dragonfly Readers—its innovative 9 level reading series aimed at helping young learners of English develop good reading habits and become motivated readers. The distinctive feature of these beautifully illustrated anthologies is that they are infused with Asian themes and values helping learners explore the unity and diversity of Asian cultures. Covering both fiction and non-fiction texts written by Asian authors, the series is designed with non-native English language learners in mind and includes extensive teacher support materials.

At the launch event, OUP also introduced Oxford Reading Buddy—a next-generation digital reading service that offers a host of digital tools and unique inbuilt coaching feature to help students develop reading comprehension skills. Dragonfly Readers are included as interactive eBooks within the Oxford Reading Buddy platform. Additionally, the service tracks student progress with online quizzes and provides teachers with valuable insights into student achievement. Used together or independently, Dragonfly Readers and Oxford Reading Buddy offer a complete system to teach graded reading and develop students’ critical thinking skills.

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The event featured an invigorating panel discussion on the topic ‘The Importance of Reading and Cross-Cultural Understanding’ with Dr. Naazir Mahmood and Dr. Shahid Siddiqui as speakers and Tooba Malik as the moderator. The panelists highlighted why in this age of globalization, it is important to inculcate among children an appreciation for other cultures. In this context, they emphasized that Dragonfly Readers will enable school children in Pakistan to learn about the traditions and values of other Asian countries and hence develop an understanding and tolerance for cultures that are diverse yet similar to theirs.

While speaking about Dragonfly Readers and Oxford Reading Buddy to school heads and teachers present at the event, Fayyaz Raja, Sales Director North, OUP Pakistan, in his welcome address said, “The Readers have been developed with the ease of teachers in mind and include discussion questions to facilitate value reflection and critical thinking development.”

Dragonfly Readers and Oxford Reading Buddy have been simultaneously launched at events in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad.

A ceremony to award prizes and certificates to the regional finalists, national winner, and national 1^st and 2^nd runners-up of the Oxford Big Read competition was also held.