A Book for Everyone - Guest Author Jennifer Burley

I knew that God was sending me a personal invitation to go to Honduras when I learned that one of the needs was a library for the children.  I have spent two-thirds of my life organizing libraries, teaching college students and future teachers about children’s literature and encouraging children to discover the joy of reading.

My goal was to take 100 children’s books to the orphans of New Life Children’s Home.  I posted a question on Facebook asking which books people thought every child should have an opportunity to read.  I used those suggestions to search book stores and online stores for those titles in Spanish.  I was so excited to find Goodnight, Moon and Brown Bear, Brown Bear and Where the Wild Things Are, as well as simple Bible stories of David and Goliath, Daniel in the lion’s den and Noah’s ark, all translated into Spanish.

Many church members who had already participated in our various fundraisers for this mission trip gave money to me to purchase books.  Fellow librarians and former co-workers sent money earmarked for books for Honduras.  The response was overwhelming.  As we packed our supplies, I enjoyed hearing the teenagers in our group exclaim in delight when they saw their childhood favorites written in Spanish.

Even though most libraries are now automated and users can find books using an online catalog, automation was not an option in Jalaca.  It was necessary to set up an “old school” card catalog, handwritten with a title, author and subject card for each book.  Fortunately, I started my career in the pre-computer days, so I knew how to do that.

One day as Jennifer Barnes and I were working on the books – I was cataloging and she was laboriously copying the additional cards for the card catalog – one of the young boys came into the room.  He asked what we were doing and we explained that we were getting books ready for the library.  “Are they in Spanish?” he asked skeptically.  We assured him that they were.  When we opened one to show him, he pointed both index fingers into the air and did a “happy dance.”  We had no idea how much it would mean to these children to be able to read for entertainment in their own language.  Most of their reading was in textbooks.

Our Book-Loving Teenager Osman with Will

When we had completed cataloging the books, I realized that two little board books I had purchased on a whim were missing.  They would not have been a good addition to the library, but I felt bad that they had been lost.  On the day before we were to leave, we discovered some supplies in the side pocket of a suitcase.  Among them were the two little board books.  They were never supposed to be a part of the library.  By that time we had met little Jeffrey and Christian and I knew that these books were meant especially for them. 

We took 102 books to Jalaca.  I hope to return with 100 more.