Book Party

In lieu of sending Christmas gifts this year, we made a donation to a wonderful Laotian literacy organization called Big Brother Mouse (BBM), where we’d volunteered (helping out with English conversation sessions) a few times in Luang Prabang. As a thank you for our donation, we were invited to attend one of the twice-weekly “book parties” that BBM staff hold at rural primary schools throughout the region. The party---designed to turn students on to the joys of reading for fun (rather than just for school)---included songs, games, the creation of a lending library for every classroom, and the gift of a book for each child to keep. It was amazing to be able to watch the BBM staff at work and to see the enthusiasm on the part of the students. The party also gave us a chance to see more of life in the countryside. (You can find out more about Big Brother Mouse at http://www.bigbrothermouse.com/download/storyofbbm.pdf.)