Feedback from the participants of the second stage of the P.AGE Project

Recently, the B50 community has successfully implemented the second, regional, stage of the P.AGE, a project aimed at restoring the potential of children of war from communities that have been occupied or affected by russian aggression. Within the framework of this project, we provide children with high-quality educational literature in Ukrainian – we hand over sets of 50 books about science, development, history, leaders, money, art, professions, growing up, patriotism, etc.

Five libraries from Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, and Donetsk regions took part in the regional stage of the P.AGE. Here, the books by B50 have already found their readers – children are enthusiastically getting acquainted with the new literature. Librarians wrote to us about this, and we will publish their feedback below. In the meantime, we urge you not to stop there, because the third, national stage of the P.AGE is ahead, so support the B50 community with donations for books!

The library of the Boromlia Lyceum, Okhtyrka district, Sumy region

Tetiana Briukhovetska, director of the lyceum’s library:

The lyceum’s library users often request popular science, history, and educational literature. The collection of our school library cannot meet the needs of young readers and teachers. Thanks to the P.AGE project, we are able to replenish our collection with new, modern, and much-needed books.

Our children read actively, probably because they are limited in communication and strive to develop and learn new things. I believe that the most popular books among children will be “Cool History of Ukraine. From Dinosaurs Till Now”, “Travelbook. Independent” and “The Cartoon Guide to Biology”.

Library at the Kyselivka Lyceum in Mykolaiv region

Nataliia Khlan, lyceum director:

A developmental book is, foremost, a text that describes, depicts, conveys, demonstrates, encourages, and calls on students not only to think, but also to plan their lives and take concrete actions. Children especially like such literature, it is interestingly illustrated. Our school used to have a lot of such books, but they were destroyed during the occupation and hostilities. That’s why we decided to participate in the P.AGE.

I am sure that all the books will be popular among children, but the most valuable ones are career guidance books, those dealing with personal topics, and those dealing with the natural and mathematical sciences.

Library of Krasnokutsk Lyceum #2

Natalia Spiridonova, head of the school library:

Updating book collections has always been a painful question for us librarians, and even more so because of the war. There are very few modern publications, and children need interesting books. Due to the blackouts, the demand for reading has increased even more, so we started looking for ways to replenish the funds.

Why educational literature? Because children do not know how to formulate and whom to ask questions that concern them, and some topics are generally ashamed (for example, puberty). Therefore, books that are modern, high-quality, and interesting still remain a reliable source of answers.

It’s hard to choose the best book among the set donated by B50. All of them are very interesting. In my opinion, children will read the following books the most: “The Great Book “Why?”, “Important Philosophical Questions for 7-11 Years Old Children”, “Cool History of Ukraine. From Dinosaurs Till Now” and similar books.

The library of the School No.10 of the Myrnohrad, Donetsk region

The library received children’s literature on history, art, geography, law, philosophy, economics, for self-knowledge and self-realization, for exploring oneself, others, the country, the planet and the universe. This book treasure immediately fell into the hands of schoolchildren. The book “What is Not Taught in School” turned out to be the most interesting for teenagers.