Room to Read Blog

Big News from the ICC World T20 Tournament in Sri Lanka: Room to Read and ICC Bring Cricketers' Stories to Life

There is a lot of excitement around the ICC World T20 cricket championships in Sri Lanka these days, but not all of it is on the pitch. In partnership with the International Cricket Council, Room to Read has released two new original children’s books based on the lives of cricket stars Virat Kohli of India and Angelo Mathews of Sri Lanka. Amid the ICC World T20 excitement, we caught up with the writer of Virat’s Inning and the illustrator of Little Angelo’s Big Day in Cricket, to hear more about their experiences bringing the stars’ stories to life.

*****

Aruna Keerthi Gamage, illustrator of Little Angelo’s Big Day in Cricket, has been involved with Room to Read’s Book Publishing program for five years and has illustrated more than 10 books in Sri Lanka.

Room to Read: What made you interested in illustrating for children?

Aruna:  I read children’s story books while I was growing up—especially those from the Soviet Union and China. I realized that good children’s books manage to strike a harmony between storyline and illustrations. You cannot separate the two.  As I got older, my curiosity for learning the art of illustration also grew, so I started searching for new training opportunities in this area.

Room to Read: How was the concept for Angelo’s book developed?

Aruna:  Angelo’s book was a challenge since it was a biography and I had to determine how true I wanted to stay to his actual life. I had to imagine his childhood in my mind. I also tried to imagine what an aspiring cricketer would go through in this country—the feeling of wanting to play for their country.

For research, I surveyed newspaper articles, the internet and other archival materials to observe his features and physical attributes. I also met Angelo and his family members and did extensive interviews with them.

Room to Read: What makes an illustrator successful? What advice do you have for aspiring illustrators?

Aruna: Well, first and foremost: understand children. Illustrations should talk to children and be attractive. Think out of the box and also, newcomers should have the ability to observe the world around them.

*****

Bimal Mohan is a sports journalist by profession, but his passion for writing led him to Room to Read. He found his niche within our Book Publishing program in India, and authored this year’s original title Virat’s Inning, based on the life of cricket star Virat Kohli.

Room to Read: What initially interested you in writing children’s stories?

Bimal:  Well, being a sports journalist, the one question that we often ask sports stars is how they plan to give back to the game. This question stands true for me as a journalist, too. I believe that our generation will only leap forward when we give back to society. So when I got an offer to write for children, I had no second thoughts.

Room to Read: Was it difficult writing a book on a famous cricketer?

Bimal: Yes and No. No, because this exercise was in a way similar to reporting as a sports journalist. Yes, because normally when we write our news reports, we do so for audiences which are at least young adults and upwards and not small children. Writing for children requires a different outlook.

Room to Read: What interested you most in Virat’s story?

Bimal: Irrespective of the sport, every champion has a unique story. All of them cross a difficult hurdle to reach the pinnacle—athletes like Usain Bolt, Mo Farah, Sachin Tendulkar and Lance Armstrong. Virat is no different. He is a true champion in the making.

He lost his father in the midst of playing an important match, but continued to play, which speaks volumes about his mental state. Sports teach a lesson about duty, honor and teamwork. Virat Kohli learned it the hard way and came out the other side with flying colors. 

Room to Read: What advice do you have for aspiring authors?

Bimal: Observe, persevere and read as much as you can.

Learn more about our partnership with ICC at http://www.roomtoread.org/wt20

Video blog: Book Publishing Program Helps One Young Author in Nepal Find Her Voice (and Her Way Back to School)

In ten countries across Asia and Africa, Room to Read is in the publishing business, turning out brand-new, locally-sourced children’s books year after year. But sometimes, the stories of the authors themselves are just as powerful as the ones they write on paper...

This week, we bring you a special video blog from Nepal. You’ll meet Moni Khan and her family, and learn about how this young literary talent got her start, despite all odds.

  

Filmed, Produced & Written by: Jennifer London, Reel News Productions
Edited by: D.J. Kirsten

Learn more about Book Publishing.

Join Room to Read in celebrating International Literacy Day throughout September. For each action you take, $1 will be donated to support our work.  Learn more at www.roomtoread.org/ILD2012.

Show and Tell: Cricket Star Angelo Mathews Becomes the Character in New Children's Book, with Help from Room to Read

Cricket superstar Angelo Mathews is used to being at the center of attention, but last week the co-captain of the Sri Lanka team gained a new form of notoriety as the protagonist of a children's book published by Room to Read.

Funded by the International Cricket Council, Little Angelo's Big Day tells the story in Sinhala and Tamil of 10-year-old Angelo, who goes to watch his father play a friendly cricket match. After one of the player's becomes ill, it is up to Little Angelo to join the game and score the final run.

The book was launched in a ceremony at the Sri Lanka Foundation in Colombo on August 13. In attendance were 36 students from our partner schools, including several girls from our Girls' Education program in Hatton who have formed their very own cricket team (and won the under 16 tournament).

After the book had been revealed, Angelo read aloud from another Room to Read title and joined an illustration workshop with the students. He then fielded questions from the inquisitive crowd. "I wanted to be an artist and paint nice pictures," he said of his school days, "but my favorite subject was Mathematics."

When asked about his involvement with Room to Read, Angelo had this to say: “Let us do our level best for improving the literacy levels in this country.”

Learn more about our Book Publishing program.

Video Blog: Celebrating Mandela Day and the Power of Language in South Africa

July 18 is Mandela Day, a day aimed at inspiring individuals to take action to help change the world for the better. In addition to encouraging all people to spend 67 minutes of the day engaged in community service (one minute to mark each year Mr. Mandela spent in public service), it is about inspiring a global movement for good.

At Room to Read, we have seen firsthand the challenges South Africa's educational system has faced, not least of which is providing quality reading material in all 11 of the country's official languages. We launched our operations in South Africa six years ago to honor the country's rich linguistic diversity and cultural heritage in storybooks.

In honor of Mandela Day, we asked our South Africa team to reflect on the power of language, and how the availability of high-quality, locally-relevant children's books has affected the lives of the children served by our programs.

Take a look:

 

Lear more about our work in South Africa.

A Principal in Bangladesh Finds a New Voice on the Pages of a Children's Book

Rahamot Ullah is the Principal of Kishalay Girls’ School and College in Dhaka. “I have always aimed to be a friend to all my students,” he says, distributing a bag of chocolates to several of the school's tenth grade students.

In addition to running the school’s operations, Rahamot Ullah is also an avid writer, having penned many poems and articles on education issues in his native Bangladesh. It wasn’t until recently, though—when he came across a newspaper advertisement from Room to Read in 2010—that Mr. Ullah thought to combine his passion for teaching with his creative pursuits.

The ad was a simple one, like dozens more placed each year in periodicals across the ten countries where we work, but it struck a chord with Mr. Ullah. “Room to Read is seeking submissions from authors for Bengla-language children’s books,” it said, and upon reading those words, the principal began preparing his submission almost immediately.

When he heard back from our team, it was not good news. They explained to the principal that the greatest need in Bangladesh for children’s literature lies in books designed for very early readers. His stories, while captivating, were clearly written with more mature students in mind.

Not one to be dissuaded easily, Mr. Ullah worked hard to produce new stories that were more appropriate to the reading level described by our team, and in 2011 he submitted his work again. This time, he was elated to find that his stories had been selected.

The first step for Mr. Ullah after getting the good news was to attend an orientation for all new writers and illustrators working with Room to Read. There, he learned about how our Book Publishing program supports literacy across Bangladesh and how to write with a gender lens. He also learned that his book, once finished, would be distributed to hundreds of school libraries in rural villages, which for some students, would be their only option for reading material outside of their government textbook.

Next, Mr. Ullah attended a three-day residential workshop to revise his manuscript, a unique experience partially because of the company he shared it with. Other first-time children’s authors included a police officer, several university professors and a handful of journalists.

After the workshop, each author’s final manuscript was sent out into the field to be tested by students in nearby schools, while their creators awaited a final decision about which ten books would be published in 2011.

In the end, Mr. Ullah got the answer he was looking for, and his book, In the Land of Angels, was published late last year. Using rhyme, the book teaches children about colors through the familiar backdrop of Bangladesh’s countryside. “I am happy to know that a new generation of learners will be reading my book,” he says of his latest pursuit.

Learn more about our Book Publishing.

Hitting Another Room to Read Milestone: 10 Million Reasons to Celebrate

Today, in the Tien Giang Province of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta, Room to Read celebrated a milestone eleven years in the making.

At a ceremony held at Ngu Hiep 2 Primary School, founder John Wood and the Room to Read Vietnam team delivered a brand new box of books to the school’s library, symbolizing the 10 millionth book donated to our network of over 12,000 libraries in nine developing countries.

The emblematic book, Floating Market, is a Room to Read original title produced through our Local Language Publishing program, which comprise more than half of all books donated to date. It is also a “big book,” of which we’ve printed many in Vietnam—designed to help teachers and librarians facilitate shared reading activities.

The commemorative ceremony was indeed a moment of reflection and pride for our hard-working team, but most of all it was about the children we work with. The day’s festivities included literacy games, story time and a workshop lead by one of our talented illustrators, and attended by a bustling crowd of enthusiastic young readers.

Below are several photos of this morning’s ceremony, which we hope you’ll enjoy. After all, without our passionate community of supporters around the world, none of this would be possible. On behalf of the entire Room to Read family, thank you for joining us in our belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children, and for helping make it a reality.

 

 

Read the full press release related to our 10 millionth book milestone on our website.

Six Short Weeks: Room to Read’s First Ever (Mini) Film Festival!

Over the past year, documentary filmmakers James Connolly and Rachelle Escaravage visited Room to Read projects throughout Asia. They met the children and communities that are benefitting from our programs, and recorded their stories on film.

Now those stories are the subject of six mini-documentaries, each focusing on one aspect of Room to Read’s work promoting literacy and gender equality in education. Over the next six weeks, we’ll be releasing those videos one at a time—providing you with a closer look at our programs than ever before.

The videos will take you to India, Laos, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, inside the libraries, homes, classrooms and communities of the children we serve. So grab some popcorn, press play and enjoy the show!

 Watch the videos on our website.

Show and Tell: Accepting the UNESCO Confucius Prize for Literacy in New Delhi

This post is part of the ongoing series, Show and Tell, where we bring you photos and stories collected by Room to Read team members on the road. 

*****

Today's show and tell is hot off the presses. Taken earlier today in New Delhi at the UNESCO Literacy Day 2011 celebration, it shows Wilfredo Pascual, global program officer for our Local Language Publishing program, accepting the 2011 Confucius Prize for Literacy on behalf of the entire Room to Read team. The award was presented by President of India Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil and Dr. Qian Tang, Assistant Director-General for Education for UNESCO.

In Honor of J.K. Rowling's Birthday: Meet the Next Generation of Storytellers

"It matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be." 

— J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)

Today is J.K. Rowling’s birthday, and in honor of her literary contributions (over 4,000 pages of them!), we bring you the story of two young women from Sri Lanka who are following in her footsteps.

At just 15 and 17 years old, respectively, Sarasi and Chathurika have already written and illustrated a successful children’s book with the help of Room to Read’s Local Language Publishing program.  Now, three years after the book was first published, the two girls reflect on their first foray into children’s literature, and what the future has in store for them.

*****

Three years ago, a small ad in a leading newspaper in Sri Lanka inadvertently brought two young school girls together for the first time. It was a call for submissions for a competition held by Room to Read that aimed to find and develop young literary talent in Sri Lanka, as well as identify potential authors and illustrators for the Local language Publishing program.

When the competition ended, 12-year-old Sarasi and 14-year-old Chathurika were among the winners. “I had participated in several competitions so when I was told that I was the winner, I was happy and all I expected was some kind of prize… I never thought that I would get an opportunity to write a story to be read by children all across my country,” says Sarasi.

Chathurika, too, did not expect the competition to be a life-changing event. “When I submitted my painting, I did not even know that I had this potential—I enjoyed drawing but never took it seriously,” she confesses. “But when I was selected, it made me realize that I can draw—it was a moment of epiphany.”

Thinking back to her days at the illustrators' workshop held for the winners, Chathurika says she is almost embarrassed by how “raw” she was, having never taken a formal drawing class before. “I had no idea about scale or shading or about the different mediums of this craft,” she says, "it was at the workshop that I realized that there was much more to drawing than just copying—I learned that there was indeed a method to this madness!”

It took her precisely 20 days to do the artwork for Sarasi’s 20-page story, Baby Fish Goes to School, which the young author says came to her almost immediately when she joined the writers’ workshop. “We had just put a civil war behind us and because my dad is in the army, the message of peace was at the top of my head,” she says.

Three years later—after becoming a much beloved children’s book in their native Sri Lanka, Baby Fish is back, with a whole new set of illustrations, courtesy of Chathurika.

Since their first foray into children’s literature, both girls have continued to develop their talents. Sarasi has even begun illustrating some of her own stories. “I have dreams of becoming an army doctor or a scientist,” shares the 12 year-old with confidence, who plans to continue writing and publishing her stories on the side.

Chathurika, on the other hand, says that art has become her life, having illustrated several more Room to Read local-language books since Baby Fish. After passing her exams, she has decided to attend art school, and dreams of one day holding exhibitions of her work. “I will always find time to do books for Room to Read however,” she says with a smile, “for after all it was Room to Read that showed me the way.”

Learn more about our programs in Sri Lanka.

Room to Read Honored by UNESCO with 2011 Confucius Prize for Literacy

Big news came today from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s headquarters in Paris, France: the winners of the 2011 UNESCO Literacy Prizes have been announced, and Room to Read has been chosen as one of the awardees for the 2011 Confucius Prize for Literacy!

The award, established in 2005, recognizes the activities of outstanding individuals, governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in literacy. This year, Room to Read's Local Language Publishing program was recognized for its success in producing and distributing high-quality, culturally-relevant books to young readers in Asia and Africa.

UNESCO’s selection committee also commended our commitment to increasing local capacity by working with local authors and illustrators to produce over 550 original local-language children's books to date. 

The Room to Read team will be on hand in New Delhi, India, on September 8 to officially accept the award at UNESCO’s International Literacy Day celebration, which includes a $20,000 grant to fund our programs. Photos of our work will also be on display as part of an exhibition at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris September 5-11, alongside images from fellow 2011 Literacy Award winners from Burundi, Mexico and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and programs with Honorable Mentions from Pakistan and the Philippines.

We are extremely honored by UNESCO's choice to recognize Room to Read’s work, and by the thoughtful nomination submitted by Dr. Fernando Reimers of our board of directors.

Thank you to everyone who has invested in our literacy programs over the past 11 years—we could not do any of it without you!

You can read about all the 2011 Literacy Prize winners in UNESCO’s Press Release.

Learn about our Local Language Publishing program on the Room to Read website.