News
Just before Christmas, Polish children in Lithuania received a unique gift - books that will help the youngest enter the world of literature and their mother tongue. It was the idea of the Foundation Pomoc Polakom na Wschodzie (Aid to Poles in the East) and the Book Institute.
"Today in Vilnius, we are inaugurating a new programme under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage with the name "Small Book - Great Man", carried out together with the Book Institute. Through the School Matrix and the City Branch of The Association of Poles in Lithuania, we are handing over 2 thousand copies of the book Pierwsze czytanki dla (“First Readings for...”), and in January, the second part of the books will arrive in Vilnius, i.e. Pierwsze wiersze dla… (“First Poems for..."), said Mikołaj Falkowski, President of the Foundation Aid to Poles in the East.
As he noted, both titles funded by the Book Institute are very valuable as they enrich vocabulary, build imagination and sensitivity, and are an extremely valuable aid for acquiring language skills for children who are beginning their adventure with literature.
Falkowski explained that the campaign promoting Polish reading will also be conducted in other countries, but it was in Vilnius that the project was inaugurated.
Maria Przełomiec, representing the Council of the Foundation in Vilnius, emphasised the attractive graphic design of both publications, which were enriched with excellent illustrations by the artist Józef Wilkoń; she also noted that the books are not only for children. "Each of these books is accompanied by a supplement Książką połączeni (“Connected by a Book”), addressed to parents, teachers, and librarians. It is extremely useful, it will certainly be a valuable help in encouraging children to read," she noted.
"Every year, we are asked to support all kinds of Christmas activities, we don't want to just hand out sweets to children. We would like something to remain for longer, to be passed on by older siblings to younger children, but also to activate parents and teachers," added Mikołaj Falkowski.
The programme is implemented by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage as part of the National Reading Development Programme.
[source: zw.lt]