My Book Buddy

A Special Children’s Library at School

Abstract

In 2010, the My Book Buddy foundation started the first children’s library at a primary school in the slums of Nairobi in Kenya. Not a children’s library in the traditional sense of the word, but an evidence based concept which is already embraced by 18 countries, and which has allowed 22,500 children to participate in active reading. This paper gives an insight into the various aspects of the concept, the success factors in the different developing countries, and the necessity to realize more My Book Buddy children’s libraries in co-operation with expert librarians who have knowledge of knowledge of children’s literature and insight into the reading process of children. A window to the world has been opened for children who are usually deprived of books because they are too expensive or out of reach for them, not only figuratively speaking, but also in the literal meaning of the word.