Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has urged the public to donate old but well-preserved books to promote reading among children as she joined the "Read Again" campaign at Government House on Tuesday.
The campaign, supported by the Mirror Foundation, set a target of collecting a million books by April 18, but donations have already stretched to six times this number.
Sharing her love for reading, Ms Paetongtarn said her father, former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, recommended the Harry Potter saga to her some 20 years ago, which inspired her to read more.
Now, with two kids of her own, she said she enjoys reading storybooks to them and uses those as materials to teach them useful life lessons, such as the importance of tidying up toys and putting away their clothes.
"It makes teaching easier. They can have storybooks they like. I'll buy those for them. There is no quota, unlike for toys," Ms Paetongtarn said.
The premier said she usually reads them between two and five stories at a time, adding her children are especially fond of The Secrets of the Treehouse by Etsuko Bushika.
She urged parents to donate any books their kids no longer use so others can access them and be inspired, adding she would also be donating some from her personal library. The PM also read The Kind School and The Secrets of the Treehouse to children at Government House.