The 麻豆传媒映画Public Library wants to get children excited about reading through its Reading Lights initiative.
Earlier this year, 20 permanent plaques featuring quotes and illustrations by local children鈥檚 authors and illustrators were put up on lamp posts across the city.
Julie Iannacone, VPL鈥檚 senior manager of services for children and teens, says the project was a year in the making.
鈥淭he Canadian Writers and Illustrators of B.C. [CWIL BC] actually approached the library and were looking for a way to get stories and literacy out into the community,鈥� Iannacone said. 鈥淲e came up with the idea that we would have these plaques that would include an expert from some of the best children鈥檚 books in British Columbia and we would put them in places where children and families would gather and that would include parks, near libraries and out on the street.鈥�
After CWIL BC finished fundraising and sent out a call for authors and illustrators to apply, library staff stepped in to get the project off the ground.
鈥淭here was a judging process, so all that took place over a number of months. Then staff here at the library worked on taking illustrations and designing them and building a website and thinking of ways to promote the project,鈥� Iannacone said.
The plaques can be found all over the city, from downtown to South Vancouver, the West End to Kitsilano and Hastings-Sunrise. The locations for the books were chosen randomly with most of the authors hailing from 麻豆传媒映画or 麻豆传媒映画Island. All of the locations can be seen on the Reading Lights website鈥檚 interactive map, which also shows information on the books that the quotes and illustrations come from.
Although Iannacone doesn鈥檛 have a favourite book, she highlighted traditional tales such as Pussycat, Pussycat Where Have You鈥檝e Been? by Dan Bar-el and illustrated by Rae
Mate and new stories such as Norman, Speak! by Caroline Adderson and illustrated by Qin Leng.
There are also books that deal with the Canadian experience such as the residential school tale Shi-shi-etko by Nicola I. Campbell and illustrated by Kim LeFave.
鈥淲e care about sharing stories and we know that in order to develop and learn about language and literacy that it is really important to share stories,鈥� Iannacone said. 鈥淗aving them in a place like near a playground is an excellent way to show that this is just one more part of the day that you can be going on the slides and the next minute you can be enjoying a quote from a British Columbian children鈥檚 book.鈥�
Reading Lights is not over yet, says Iannacone. The VPL plans to erect 40 more plaques by 2018. She also hopes for applicants who have published books in other languages, especially French, to become a part of the program.
To see where various plaques are located, go to the interactive map at vpl.ca/readinglights.
@katrinatrask
