TEHRAN -- An Iranian author of children’s book here on Tuesday lamented the fact that most children hardly touch a book in her homeland.

“Our children are nowadays playing computer games rather than reading books,” Neda Nafisi told the Persian service of the Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA). “However, this is not their fault. They have to be familiarized with books at early childhood.”

She noted that all over the world studying is internalized through introducing books to children in first grade of primary school.

Unfortunately Iranian schools lack such systematic approach, she regretted. “Our schools don’t have extensive libraries and their officials, due to other concerns, pay less attention to this shortcoming.”

Nafisi believes that children learn by imitating their parents’ behavior.

“Children do not study unless they see their parents studying,” she added.

She found faults with Iranian writers, too, blaming them for not having enough knowledge of children’s tastes and needs. “We have never surveyed why the “Harry Potter” book series have sold greatly in our country and why they have occupied our children’s minds.”