Project supported by Raiffeisenbank’s donation campaign “Choose to Help,” 2012
Research around the world shows that early interaction with books and consistent reading aloud to young children successfully prepares them for strong academic performance. The period up to the age of six is particularly fruitful for the development of speech, literary language, and cognitive skills.
In 2012, with the support of the Goethe-Institut, Bulgarian librarians and preschool teachers became familiar with large-scale national programs in Germany and interesting methods to promote reading among the youngest children.
The focused efforts of parents, teachers, and librarians to develop reading habits, a love for books, curiosity, and a thirst for knowledge in children from an early age yield invaluable results in building a knowledgeable and capable society.
In order to give children in our country the best start in their early development, libraries need colorful, engaging, and richly illustrated books for young children.
Their available budgets do not allow them to allocate sufficient funds for acquiring enough suitable literature for preschool-age children. Not every Bulgarian family can afford to maintain a home library. Through the pilot project “The Magic Room,” 139 books and educational games intended for children aged 1–6 were provided to 10 Bulgarian libraries in the cities of Asenovgrad, Botevgrad, Gotse Delchev, Dimitrovgrad, Kazanlak, Lom, Nova Zagora, Samokov, Svishtov, and Sevlievo. Library specialists widely promoted the donation among parents and kindergartens (exhibitions, local media); provided books for home lending; and organized a series of storytimes in the library for the youngest children, accompanied by games, theater, and drawing activities.
A “Magic” Room Awaits Children at the Library in Lom
A pleasant surprise awaits the youngest readers at the library of the “Postoyanstvo 1856” Community Center. The community library is one of the target sites of BBIA’s project to provide books for children aged 1 to 6. A total of 139 new children's books are available to all little ones in the “Magic Room,” specially set up in the children’s section of the library. Fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault, and many other talented Bulgarian and international storytellers await their eager and curious young readers to take them on a magical journey into the world of the mysterious, the fascinating, and the enlightening.
The project was officially launched in the presence of six-year-old pupils from the preparatory group of the “Zvanche” Kindergarten in Lom, who visited the library with their teacher Nina Zlatanova and the kindergarten’s director Anzhela Borisova.
The children’s visit coincided with the annual “Reading Marathon,” in which the library participated for the eighth consecutive year. As part of the marathon and as a special treat for their guests, the library staff had prepared a surprise. In the “Big People Read to Little Ones” initiative, municipal employee Natalia Stefanova read two stories chosen by the children: “The Miller and the Animals” and “The Three Goats.”
Not only were the children very enthusiastic and extremely excited about their “meeting” with the books, but they also expressed their gratitude with a song dedicated to a popular literary character – the little devil Fyut. In the song, each of them promised to grow up to be a worthy person of the 21st century.
The main goal of the “Magic Room” project, implemented by the Bulgarian Library and Information Association (BBIA) with the support of Raiffeisenbank’s “Choose to Help” campaign, is to help raise future generations of worthy individuals by encouraging and developing reading habits from early childhood. The idea is that by creating library corners that stimulate early childhood development, children’s interest in books will be sparked as a proven way to ensure successful preschool preparation and holistic personal growth.
Global scientific research confirms that the age between 1 and 6 is the most appropriate time to begin interaction between children and books. During this period, children's speech and cognitive skills develop, and reading aloud helps them acquire literary language early and learn to use it. The list of children's books purchased for the 10 Bulgarian libraries selected for the project was coordinated with educators and child development experts.
