Exposure to art and being literate by the time a child turns six is the key to the island's social problems, the director of the Bermuda National Gallery told Hamilton Lions this week.

Laura T. Gorham was spoke about the importance of learning to read early in life as she was giving a talk on an exhibition of the work of the celebrated illustrator Jerry Pinkney.

She said: "The exhibition was not only for children to learn to appreciate art and illustrations, but more importantly it was to encourage reading.

"The earlier children learn to read, the better. They feel more confident and a less stigmatised by their lack of ability and are less likely to get into trouble in future years. I don't know exactly where I heard or read the statistics, but in America children are tested at six-years-old to judge how full the prisons will be in years to come."

Rachel Skrlac, education officer at the Bermuda National Gallery, also spoke to the Lions Club luncheon meeting on Wednesday.

Ms Skrlac said: "The exhibition is interactive and it really gets the children involved. Visiting students have to match the text to the illustrations and read aloud. Teachers have said of their students 'he or she has never read in school'.

"I have received a positive response from students writing letters saying that 'they enjoyed the exhibition'."

Ms Skrlac added: "If your child does not want to be a business man, a lawyer or a computer scientist, the arts are not a bad alternative for young people."

Mr. Pinkney, who has been illustrating books since 1964, lectured at the Bermuda National Gallery this week.

There will be several other meetings where the public could meet him and his wife Gloria, who is an author.

The series of talks and lectures will be on illustrating books, the importance of art, and an overview of the publishing process. Ms Gorham hopes that Mr. and Mrs. Pinkney will inspire some children who are interested in writing and art.

Mr. Pinkney has won a host of awards for his illustrations including five Coretta Scott King medals and two honours, four Caldecott honours, the Philadelphia School of Art and Design Alumni Award, and a many others.

His illustrations are a reminder of the road people of African descent have travelled and how far they have come.

He was commissioned by the United States Postal Authority to create nine stamps for its Black Heritage Series, featuring images of Harriet Tubman and Martin Luther King Jr., among others.

He was the first artist to have artwork featured on the front cover of the National Geographic Magazine. The artwork was part of a special issue on the Underground Railway.

Mr. Pinkney has also illustrated pictures of the slave trade in the magazine.

The visit comes almost at the end to the exhibition Once Upon a Time, which has been running since September 30 and seen almost 1,000 school children.

Mr. Pinkney will be speaking to youngsters today at the National Gallery between 10 a.m. and noon.