The Dongguan Children's Library

I love to read. I love to write. I do both as often as I can. One way I combine those loves is by sharing the pleasure I get from doing both with boys and girls, encouraging them to become avid readers and writers themselves. As a teacher, I get to do this daily, but as an author, I really cherish the moments I get to visit and share my books, The Adventures of Gia the Giraffe and Gia the Giraffe Goes to Dublin, because I rarely get to do so.

A few weeks ago, I was sent an email by my school director about partnering with the Dongguan Children's library. The library wanted to offer a chance for boys and girls to come and listen to books read in English. They wanted native speakers to do the reading so that the children who attended would have more exposure to the language.

Two of my Chinese colleagues and I promptly met to discuss what the library's goals were and then we searched our own school library for appropriate books to be read to children ages 6-9. I helped with this, choosing a book that would be rather easy. We then went on Pinterest to find ideas for activities we could do with the children after we finished the reading.

I was asked why I didn't want to read my own books to the kids, but as I explained, not knowing the childrens' levels of English, knowing that Gia's adventures take place far away in cities that perhaps these children have never heard of, and knowing that there are many unfamiliar words, even to native speakers, on the pages, I felt that it would not be a good starting point for us. We needed to gauge the listeners' abilities first.

The book we chose was Kite Flying, by Grace Lin. It's a simple story about making and flying a kite. It also has a lot of Chinese influence as all the character's names are Chinese and the kite itself is of Chinese design. We found a cute little craft where boys and girls could use construction paper, glue, and other art supplies to make a picture of a kite.

We visited the library one Friday afternoon a week or so ago, and I was really impressed with the venue. We decided how we could arrange tables and chairs and how we would display the story's pictures. We each had a task of preparing, and on Sunday morning, May 3rd, we went to the library at 10:30 for our hour long session.

We put the Powerpoint presentation of the book on the projector so the 20 or so kids would easily be able to see. I introduced myself and the book and then began reading. I could tell that, although they were being good listeners, very few of the children had any idea what I was saying. I read the book through, then called my colleague Lynne, a Mandarin teacher, over to the stage. She and I traded places and she read each page, in Chinese, then translated to English. She was so wonderful with the children, having them repeat the words in English and then checking for understanding. I myself could understand very little of the words now, but the children were being unbelievably attentive. She had them chorally practicing words and phrases from the book, "dragon eyes" and "laughing mouth," then she'd call on individual children and they would stand up to speak in the microphone.

After Lynne finished reading, I had her help translate, step by step, what we'd be doing for the craft. My other colleague, Vivian, helped us arrange the tables and we all monitored and assisted children in their artwork. So many wonderful ideas came to fruition during the next half an hour. We had put such a basic sample up on the screen, but these children made designs much more creatively than anything I had expected.

Although these children had very little if any English, I think they really enjoyed the book and the activity. I am eager for us to get back to the library for the next visit, and excited that this is something we can do for the children in Dongguan on a monthly basis (starting in the fall). Gia's adventures weren't shared today, but one thing that I'm working on for HubHao, a new magazine in Dongguan, is a children's section where Gia's adventures around our area of China can be recorded. I've gotten lots of ideas and today's visit to the Children's Library helped me think of even more.

Looking forward, hopefully we'll be able to get more teachers and perhaps even students from ISD to join us in our upcoming visits to the Children's Library. I personally am excited to get Gia's presence there (we're adding The Adventures of Gia the Giraffe to the library's inventory)! Reading is, of course, a valuable way we learn, and as Dr. Seuss says, "The more that you read, the more things you will know, the more that you learn, the more places you'll go!" Here's to the next great book you read, and the places it may take you!