Love to read? Win a prize

Last year the editors and staff of the international children’s magazine Piznaiko launched the all-Ukraine reading program and competition “I Want to Read” with the support of Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, and the National Children’s Library of Ukraine.

The program, whose goal is to awaken, revive, and further children’s interest in the works of world and national classics that are part of the curriculum in the lower grades, involves 7,048 schools and 1,192 libraries in all regions of Ukraine. The creators of the program also aim to interest children who do not like to read.

Thanks to the program, three million children between the ages of 6 and 12 have become regular library users in 600 populated areas of Ukraine. Last year 27 winners of the reading competition went on a sightseeing trip to Kyiv, where they visited the National Children’s Library and received valuable prizes. The main children’s library in Horokhiv (Volyn oblast), one of the contest winners, received a collection of children’s books. Other libraries that made it to the finals received diplomas and consolation prizes.

This year’s nationwide contest “I Want to Read” got underway in early April. Right now the focus is on choosing books for children and teenagers. Under the conditions of the first round of the program, five schoolchildren who have read the books recommended by Piznaiko and fulfilled the required tasks, and their teachers, will be guaranteed a prize: an autographed poster of a celebrity for the children, and instructonal aids for their teachers.

Just like last year, young readers will be able to compete for the main prize by becoming winners in their respective oblast and joining a sightseeing tour of the Ukrainian capital. Piznaiko will also name three main winners among oblast, raion, and school libraries. The prize will be three collections of literary classics, valued at 3,000, 2,000, and 500 hryvnias.

For more information concerning this nationwide reading program, refer to issue no. 4 of the magazines Piznaiko vid shesty.