Here comes the books! An Introductory Campaign to Al-Fanoos Library through Storytelling

> February 2023

Here comes the books! An Introductory Campaign to Al-Fanoos Library through Storytelling

More than one million books annually for 180,000 children from kindergarten to second grade all over the country!

Under the title “Here comes the books!”, a wide introductory campaign was launched for the project Al Fanoos Library, which introduces the work of the Al Fanoos by documenting the work carried out as part of the project, starting from distribution to receiving the books in classrooms and the children’s homes, and carrying out activities about the books. The campaign introduces employees and target groups involved in the project: distributors, children, educators, and parents in many cities and villages.
Through videos, photos, and storytelling, people talk about the impact Al Fanoos had on their work and experiences, how they relate to the project, and how they feel throughout their work.
The videos also highlight how Al Fanoos changed their view about reading to children and how they read to children today. Participants also talk about the most moving moments they remember while reading and the memories
ingrained in their minds about reading with children and Al Fanoos books.

Watch the campaign videos:

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Stories from the Campaign:

“My father, too, is always busy, and I want to play with him!”
This is what one of the girls in our kindergarten said while we read a story about a girl who wants to play with her father. I still remember her expression. It was assertive and sat at the same time. I asked the rest of the children in our kindergarten in Majd Al-Krum that day if they felt like her. I realized that all the children wanted their fathers to be more present for them.
It was moving and also confusing. A tremendous emotional need arose from reading a story suddenly. We wondered what we could do as caregivers.
After thinking about this incident, we initiated a kindergarten activity that involved only fathers. They participated in this activity, saw and heard their children, and became an integral part of our kindergarten ever since. They also told me that their presence in their children’s lives has increased, and they spend happy time together. It was a nice change that we will remember. The story had a significant impact.
Every story can reveal new worlds. Do not underestimate its impact; the impact of reading a story, and then having a dialogue about it.
Alfanoos project delivers annually more than a million books to homes in the Arab society. As fathers and mothers, we can use these books to contribute to our children’s growth and happiness and strengthen our relationship with them, and increase our presence in their lives.

Dr. Manar Salameh, the National Arabic Language instructor, Early Childhood Department, The Ministry of Education.

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I arrived home. I was so tired. The house was full of my nephews and nieces. They noticed that I was holding books from Al Fanoos library in my hands. The books stirred their curiosity and caught their attention. They asked me about it and asked me to read one of the books, but I was exhausted after a long day full of details and tasks, during which we distributed books to many kindergartens, preschools, and schools. They were so eager, so I decided to read them one of the books, even before lunch. The entire family listened to the story and enjoyed it that day, and we discussed it afterwards. At that moment, I understood that we at Al Fanoos do not only distribute a million free copies of wonderful books that reach everyone. We also distribute a million moments of happiness for children and parents and a million ideas and values that we share. This project is worth the effort.

Hani Zangaria from Tuba Zangaria

Distributor of Al Fanoos books in the North District

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A girl was alone and rejected in the kindergarten. She came from a dysfunctional family and lived with her grandmother, far away from her divorced parents. The rest of the children in the kindergarten did not come near her, although we, as teachers, paid attention to this matter. Then we read the story The Invisible Boy. It is a wonderful story about a boy that no one in his class sees him. He has no friends, until a new clever boy joins that class and discovers his talent in drawing and his abilities. The two boys become friends, so the boy become visible. After reading this story, everything changed in the kindergarten. The children included the girl and surrounded her with warmth. They started to play with her, and she felt safer. The children discovered her talent in singing. She sang publicly with her beautiful and stunning voice “Oh, if only I could fly…”. She brought joy and excitement to our hearts. Alfanoos books encourage children to discover themselves, and to see the others. They give us pedagogical and emotional experience as previously mentioned, thus, makes the classroom a small home away from home, full of tenderness, understanding, and support.

Khuloud Abu Saleh Hleihel, second grade teacher, Al Amal school, Khirbit Alwatan (AlQasoom) in the Negev.

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I remember that once, during free play time, I heard children singing joyfully, “Tra la la la, how sweet life is.” It is the exact phrase that the sunbird repeatedly sings in the story “The Sunbird Sings,” which we received from Al Fanoos library. I remember thinking that day about how wonderful the joy these books bring to children and how great the moments we share they give us. That day, I sang with the children, which was one of the most beautiful moments of my life. Since that day, I feel overjoyed whenever I receive a new book from Al Fanoos. I remove the tape from the box as if I were opening a valuable gift that may surprise all the children and me in our preschool class or even all preschool classes. I feel as if we had received travel cards to take us to beautiful places we had never visited before. I turn the pages of the new book curiously, gather the children around me and tell them the story. Whenever I look into their curious eyes, I sing to myself: “Tra la la la, how sweet life is.”

Qamar Bakri- teacher
The Green Garden, Rameh village in the Galilee

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This is the story of Ghada Al-Ubra, Director of Rawadat Al-Atrash Cluster at Al Fanoos.

How about you? #What’s_your_story with Al Fanoos?
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At that time, we were confused. What should we do? How do we relieve children of fear, anger, and agitation? Someone died, and it was an agitated period in the south where shells and rockets fell near us. The children returned to preschool with many questions, fear, and feelings until that book arrived. Some books arrive just in time, and they stay with us. We return to them whenever we need them or miss them. That is certainly the case with the book “Where Do I Go When I’m Angry?” from Al Fanoos Library. This educational-therapeutic book arrived in time to show us in a wonderful way how to express our feelings. Attaching highly professional proposed activities and rich and creative ideas to the book enabled us to use the book to develop emotional expressive abilities of an entire generation of children in our preschool.
We are eagerly awaiting new books.

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Here comes the books! An Introductory Campaign to Al-Fanoos Library through Storytelling

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