Philipsburg Jubilee Library continues to seek ways to improve its service to the St. Maarten and the wider community. One definitive way of doing this is increasing its (digital) collection of reading materials that teach and challenge children in a fun, yet informative way.
The Netherlands-based Tooby Foundation is, therefore, an excellent partner for the library in this goal. Tooby focuses on teaching children the importance of norms and values including the importance of a clean-living environment and being honest and responsible. The underlying thought is: “Catch them young.”Tooby and the library have been working on a new project called “Tooby goes to St. Maarten.” The project consists of the distribution of children’s books to promote reading and learning via stories and to deliver positive messages in an appealing way using themes such as:• That stealing is not allowed and being gentle is important• What it means to be falsely accused• How the underwater world and the universe look like• Which animals live at night and how to reduce your fear for the darkness• That garbage is dirty (it can cause unhygienic situations)• That you should not litter• That garbage can have an economic benefit by recycling• That cooperation can solve problems.
The children in the age bracket from 4 to 8 are presented books through their schools. In total 3,000 books. The books are published in both English and Dutch languages and free of charge.“Tooby” is already known in Curacao, Aruba, and Bonaire, because of the movie “Tooby en de Bosbende” (Tooby and the Jungle Jumble), facebook.com/toobybanana youtube, and books that were donated on those islands.
The Tooby Foundation has pledged donations it has gathered in the Netherlands. The Philipsburg Jubilee Library Foundation, the Windward Islands Bank and the ‘Landsloterij’ have added to that pledge. While all projects have their merits, the library’s goals are to ensure we have a community that is well-read and equipped to the world of work and academics. A strong library translates into a stronger community. Sharing this book will be another step in bettering our community.
The Philipsburg Jubilee Library wishes all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. (On the picture Pieter D. Lucas, Interim-director & Project manager handing over one of the books to a student of cycle one of the Marie Genevieve de Weever Primary School.)
