10 reasons Room to Read students love library time

April 03, 2017

1. A picture is worth a thousand words. "I love books in the library. The big pictures in the story books look great. I like them very much." -Archana, Grade 1 at Government Primary School Haldi

2. Culturally-relevant plot lines feel like home. "There are many books that are my favorite. I liked the story of Jalebi the most. Jalebi is my favorite sweet. My father always brings jalebi for me. I love it." -Archana, Grade 1 at Government Primary School Haldi

3. Stories help children understand the power of problem-solving. "I love the story Kulfi ke Paise. In this story, Deepak and Sapna wanted to eat Kulfi. They went to mummy to ask for money, but she was sleeping. So, they rushed to papa but he was also busy. Then they decided to break the piggy bank and finally they got the money to eat Kulfi." -Phiroj, Grade 1, Government Primary School Haldi

4. Reading becomes a family affair. "I love to read books. I take books from the library to my home and narrate the story to my mother. This makes my mother very happy." -Umam, Grade 4, Government Primary School Pragfarm

5. It improves attendance by giving students something to look forward to. "I come read in the library every day. Today my father was going to take me to the market, but I did not go with him and instead came to school." -Umam, Grade 4, Government Primary School Pragfarm

6. Reading aloud builds friendships. "I like reading with my friend, Muskan, in the library. We read stories together every day. My favorite story book is Chuhiya aur Chidiyan, because the friendship of Chuhiya aur Chidiyan is exactly like my friendship with Muskan. That’s why I like this story very much." -Umam, Grade 4, Government Primary School Pragfarm

7. Inventive librarians make stories come alive with plays. "I like coming to the library because we prepare plays on stories." -Rinki, Grade 4, Government Primary School Rajpur

8. Picture books inspire new kinds of creativity. "I like Illustrations in books. I also draw pictures by looking at the illustrations in the book and I put them on library board. I feel very good to see my drawings on the board." -Rinki, Grade 4, Government Primary School Rajpur

9. Children take away daily life lessons. "My favorite story book is Chhoti si lali, because when the girl had a desire to climb the tree her mother says, 'No, you are small now.' When she wants to ride a bicycle her papa says, 'You are too young.' I also have the same desires, but I am still a small boy. I want to grow up early." -Sunil, Grade 4, Government Primary School Rajpur

10. Color-coding reading levels gives students a sense of autonomy and something to reach for. "I like to come to the library to read. Our teachers tell us many good stories. There are many different colors of books available in our library that I like to read. I pick up books of my choice and take them home, too." -Phiroj, Grade 1, Government Primary School Haldi

Imagine a childhood without books - no bedtime stories with colorful pictures, no talking animals with life lessons, no stories teaching you the many things possible with a little imagination. Countless children around the world experience exactly that - a bookless youth. Without access to libraries or stories in their language literacy becomes nearly impossible. That's where we come in. Room to Read has partnered with nearly 20,000 primary schools since 2010, distributing 18 million books with culturally-relevant stories and benefiting more than 11.5 million children through our Literacy Program.

Want to make sure kids grow up with inspiring tales at their fingertips? Become a monthly contributor and just $25 a month brings a shelf of new books to a community in need!

April 03, 2017