Philipsburg Jubilee Library interim-director and project manager Pieter D. Lucas handing over one of the books of the “Tooby goes to St. Maarten” project to a Marie Genevieve de Weever Primary School cycle-one pupil.
PHILIPSBURG--Philipsburg Jubilee Library continues to seek ways to improve its services to the community. One way of doing this is by increasing its digital collection of reading materials that teach and challenge children in a fun, yet informative way. The Netherlands-based Tooby Foundation is considered an excellent partner 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” which 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; 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 fear of darkness; that garbage is dirty, as it may cause unhygienic situations; that one should not litter; that garbage can have an economic benefit by recycling; and that cooperation can solve problems.
Children in the age bracket 4-8 years are presented with books through their schools. In total there are 3,000 books available in the English and Dutch languages. The books are free of charge.
Tooby is already known in Curaçao, Aruba and Bonaire via the movie “Tooby and the Jungle Jumble” and the books that were donated on these islands.
Tooby Foundation has pledged donations it has gathered in the Netherlands. Philipsburg Jubilee Library Foundation, Windward Islands Bank and the Landsloterij lottery 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 for the world of work and the academics. A strong library translates into a stronger community. Sharing these books will be another step in bettering our community,” said library interim-director and project manager Pieter D. Lucas.
