A former Limpopo Province teacher inspired pre-schoolers in Germany to write their own books for distribution in schools in impoverished areas in South Africa.
Ms. Mari Pienaar, who taught for the best part of 15 years in the Venda area and in Louis Trichardt, was shocked when she read the PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study) Report of 2006. The report indicated that South Africa was the country with the worst performance in reading. Grade 4 and 5 students in South Africa were tested after five years of formal schooling and the average reading age was 11.9 years. Russia's 10-year-olds came out tops in the world, followed by Hong Kong. They had all had four years of formal schooling when tested. Some 40 countries were involved in the literacy study, funded by the Netherlands.
When Pienaar got hold of the report in December last year, she and her husband had already been teaching in Germany for some time. Mari is involved in teaching pre-schoolers at an international school in Weimar, Germany. In their school programme, children are encouraged to be caring and make a difference in the world. Mari also wanted them to become authors and illustrators of their own books, and so the Kids Books for Kids project was born and the Caterpillar Series came into being. Pienaar tells how they made their books.
"Firstly, students planned their caterpillars, made them at home and returned them to school with instructions on how to make them. These are included in each book. After exploring a variety of sounds, tastes, visual images, textures and smells, students decided which of their caterpillars would feature in their stories. Students painted eight background pictures for the setting of the story and drew the caterpillars' experiences. A graphic designer photographed the pictures and formatted them into individual stories and books," says Pienaar.
The kids believe that their colourful books will encourage young readers in the Limpopo.
"The receivers of these books have the opportunity to improve their reading skills by reading a series of books which have repetitive words that they will be able to read individually, as well as new, everyday vocabulary that will expand their reading abilities," says Pienaar. They wish to encourage the receivers of the books to become authors and illustrators themselves.
In Louis Trichardt, the Ladies Circle's outgoing chairperson, Melinda Prinsloo, said on May 5 that the Ladies Circle will be involved in the printing and distribution of the Caterpillar Series. They have received the digital format of the books and are waiting for the funding to publish. In Gemany, Pienaar will attempt to secure sponsors who will pay the funds into the account of the Ladies Circle.