Back to Lubuto!

It’s back to school season and the Ngwerere Lubuto Library is not short of the excitement from the children. So, we've chosen to call it "Back to Lubuto" season. Hundreds of children spilled through the library doors last week as those who had gone for holidays returned to Garden compound for school or to be with their relatives. Boys and girls organized themselves in groups of friends as they searched among the book shelves for familiar stories. They pointed and whispered to each other excitedly.

Besa, the NLL librarian, joined them to help out with locating the books while Stephen, the library assistant, kept the commotion under control. Besa asked what the whispers were all about. The children said they missed Lubuto and the books during holidays because there was no public library where they went.

There was a group of five girls eagerly searching for a book called The Gospel Cinderella by Joyce Carol Thomas. Besa found the book and sat down in the Talking Circle with the children for Storytime. More girls joined the group while the boys edged closer to the read aloud session without making it obvious that they were interested. Sooner than later, over ten children surrounded Besa in the talking circle as she read The Gospel Cinderella with them.

Eleven year old Daria Banda said that she was happy to be back after holidays to enjoy stories like this one because one day she hopes to be a singer just like Cinderella in the story. Interestingly, there were more girls than boys present for Storytime. The children asked to remain with the book to read through again even after Besa finished reading aloud. There was a lot of chatter as the girls flipped through the story book together pointing at the pictures and smiling.