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No.181

Little Readers on a Reading Ramble

 

小讀者的閱讀漫遊

 

A child’s first steps into reading often begin with a picture book in a parent’s arms, a family storytime at the library, or a storytelling session at a neighborhood bookstore. Reading nurtures language, emotions, and imagination, accompanying children as they set out to explore the world.

 

Public libraries, cultural venues, bookstores, and picture-book shops alike create warm and inventive environments for families, offering welcoming and diverse spaces where reading naturally unfolds through play, crafts, and everyday life. In these cherished moments of shared reading, children are free to explore and spark their imaginations—using books to create tiny points of starlight that illuminate their own little universe.

 

Life Enriched by Reading - Proper shared reading strengthens neural energy in the brain

Written、photos provided by／Tseng Chih Lang

 

5,000 years ago, the Earth was shrouded in the deep freeze of the last glacial period, and the ancestors of humankind (including Neanderthals) hid in caves or rock shelters to keep warm. Trudging out to look for food, they would quickly return to the caves, because it was simply too cold outside. Spending days and nights huddling in these caverns, with only limited space to move around despite the many chambers within, they eventually began, out of boredom and frustration, to doodle on the surrounding rock walls.

 

They painted all kinds of animals: some robust, some slender, some ferocious, some gentle, with vivid and varied hair and skin that reflected the ecology of their living environment. These carefully executed paintings also marked a shift in human mentality, from mere calculation to deliberate strategizing. Even more interestingly, paleoanthropologists examining the skulls of our distant ancestors discovered that during this period, the cerebellum grew larger, while the cerebrum became asymmetrical, with the left hemisphere larger than the right, giving rise to the phenomenon of lateralization of cognitive functions. This evidence clearly shows that the advancement of the mind depends on the support of the brain.

 

In recent years, evidence of brain–mind interaction obtained using various brain-imaging tools has likewise shown that higher-order mental abilities require strong neural activity in the brain to sustain them. Consequently, scientists pay special attention to the level of brain energy in newborn infants. From an evolutionary perspective, infants are born with an innate capacity for learning and possess a perceptual ability akin to statistical computation for detecting changes in surrounding sounds, sights, and objects, which is called experience-independent learning. Naturally, there are individual differences in how sensitive newborns are to changes in their environment. The key question is whether these individual differences—ranging from high to low—will influence later, experience-dependent learning that can only be acquired through interaction with the world.

 

This question is important because scientific studies have confirmed a strong correlation between the strength of infants’ innate brain energy and their later performance in language acquisition. An even more crucial question, then, is what kinds of reinforcement methods parents can use, in the course of everyday interaction, to guide infants and young children in developing higher-order cognitive functions and boosting the energy of neural activity. In recent years, research on infant brain development has provided a very positive and encouraging answer to this question.

 

To measure brain activity in 6‑month‑old infants, it is difficult to use the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners typically employed with adults, because babies cannot possibly lie inside the machine and keep their heads still, and once they move, the resulting images are blurred. In addition, MRI systems are extremely expensive. Thanks to the development of advanced near‑infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), researchers can now attach measurement opt odes to an infant’s head while the baby is safely and quietly held in a parent’s arms, making it the most commonly used and most infant‑friendly brain‑imaging tool in current infant studies.

 

曾志朗 研究者可以把量測的電極片貼在嬰兒頭部，由媽媽抱著嬰兒，進行既安全又安靜的實驗

 

This series of experiments has been led by Professor Wang Xin‑Min of the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at National Taiwan Normal University, working with Richard Aslin, a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and a professor at Yale School of Medicine, to investigate 6‑month‑old infants’ predictive abilities using NIRS. How is this done? Researchers manipulate sequences of stimulus for example, every time an auditory stimulus occurs, a visual image appears at the same time; after many such pairings of sound and image, the sound is presented but the visual image is sometimes omitted. At those moments, the visual cortex at the back of the infant’s head shows clear hemodynamic responses, indicating that the infant has noticed that the expected pattern has been violated.

 

The studies show that when a sound is presented but the expected picture does not appear, the occipital lobe, which supports the visual system, produces neural responses of varying strength, and the magnitude of this brain‑based prediction signal is significantly correlated with the infants’ spoken vocabulary when they reach 12 and 18 months of age. In other words, the stronger the neural prediction signal in the brain at 6 months, the better the child’s subsequent spoken language development. This is an important new finding, demonstrating that infants’ innate neural energy truly influences the quality of language they learn from the environment as they grow. Encouragingly, further research has found that for young children whose neural functioning appears less robust in infancy, the energy of neural processing can be strengthened through experience‑dependent learning in the form of parent–child shared reading, thereby promoting their language development.

 

Parent–child shared reading exerts a powerful positive effect on strengthening cognitive functions in the brain, which is especially meaningful for contemporary societies facing low birth rates. Research also shows that effective shared reading rests on appropriate interaction strategies: parents do more than simply open a book and read it aloud word for word. Instead, they keep asking questions that match the content, such as “What happens next?”, “Why?”, or “What might the outcome be?”, and they guide the child to recall the story with prompts like “What just happened?”. They also build on the child’s responses, expanding and extending them with richer explanations. A three‑year longitudinal study conducted in Yilan has shown that the richer the interactions during shared reading, the more opportunities children have to exercise and strengthen the brain’s predictive abilities, thereby enhancing their language skills. So, parents, pick up a book, hold your precious child close, and read together to power up the brain. (The author is an Academician of Academia Sinica.)

 

Growing Up in Stories - Reading Time from 0 Years Old

Written by／Chiu Mu Jung

Photos provided by the Yu Pei Yun、Su Yi Chen

 

The joy of reading often stems from pure interest rather than imposed learning pressure. Through shared reading, children and parents not only build fond memories but also deepen their mutual understanding and sense of security. These warm memories help children view reading as a pleasant and natural activity, encouraging them to continue walking hand-in-hand with books throughout their growth.

 

閱讀帶來的愉悅，往往伴隨著珍貴的親子記憶，純粹而不帶目的性。

 

In people’s minds, children’s reading is perhaps the field with the most stereotypes— “children’s books equal touch-and-feel cognitive teaching materials,” “picture books are only for young children,” or “children under 3 can’t understand picture books, so there’s no need to read to them.” In fact, the world of children’s reading is far broader than imagined! By redefining “what books are suitable for children,” reading transcends age limitations and becomes a beautiful journey starting from 0 years old.

 

Through Time - Children's Literature Mirrors the Human World

 

Anyone browsing articles on children's literature is sure to have a deep impression of Yu Pei Yun, professor at the National Taitung University's Graduate Institute of Children's Literature. Yu Pei Yun grew up in the 1970s, when children's books were scarce, and it wasn't until her senior year of college that she was introduced to the field by Professor Cheng Hsueh Mei, a library science expert who had just returned to Taiwan. "It opened my eyes—there are actually books written in a child's voice!" That moment marked her entry into children's literature, after which she received a scholarship from the Japan Exchange Association to pursue her master's and doctoral degrees in Japan.

 

What is children's literature? From an academic perspective, it generally refers to works created for children and adolescents under 18. However, Yu Pei Yun, who has long focused on this field, views it as a genre that "children can understand, yet withstands deep adult reading." For example, picture books, with their concise text and expansive illustrations, are often mistaken for simplistic content, but they actually explore rich dimensions and many important aspects of life. "Many simple truths yield different depths of insight depending on the reader's age." Using The Little Prince as an example, Yu Pei Yun explains that children's books resonate across ages, and narratively, they are "literature that brings hope “regardless of whether the ending is happy or sad, creators leave a sense of openness. "Many metaphors can be encountered in life, so in other words, picture books or children's books are like modern prescriptions for the soul!" Yu Pei Yun laughs.

 

游珮芸在臺北童里繪本洋行「如何抓住想法，摸到靈感：韓國繪本畫家Suzy Lee 新書介紹」講座擔任講師。　　　游珮芸在桃園市立圖書館總館「早期閱讀的親子共讀講座」擔任講師。

 

Reading as the Foundation - Embark on a Journey of Imagination for Children

 

Not only can adults reflect on human affairs through children's literature, but picture books also serve as a window for children to understand the world. "Children are like little anthropologists: upon arriving in this world, they must learn language, culture, technology, and more. Everyday life bombards them with too much information, but reading picture books with vibrant illustrations and simple text allows them to focus better on recognizing and absorbing new knowledge."

 

Yu Pei Yun cites the example of a child with Asperger's syndrome. Since his diagnosis at ages 3 or 4, his mother has used numerous picture books in daily life to teach him about emotions, facial expressions, and everyday objects. By the time he entered elementary school, his development far surpassed that of many other children with Asperger's. Another example is one of Yu Pei Yun 's own doctoral students' children, who from a young age read picture books and, by ages 4 or 5, could interpret different images and describe what he saw using rich vocabulary. "This is the power of picture books. Though they appear to have concise text, they contain a wealth of information and can cultivate a child's ability to read images. Young readers who read a lot and gain experience benefit greatly in future learning and everyday observation," Yu Pei Yun adds.

 

"Images are fluid, short videos are fragmented, but books are systematic." In an era dominated by audiovisual media, cultivating a reading habit from a young age immerses children in the textual world of books, rooting them in rich stories and knowledge while embarking on their own journeys of imagination and learning.

 

繪本蘊含的豐富面向，探討了許多人生中重要的事物，不同年紀閱讀會有不同的體悟。

  

Age-Appropriate Reading - Build a Stronger Start to Reading

 

Amid the vast ocean of books, children's books may seem readily available, but how can one progressively cultivate a child's interest in reading? Su Yi Chen, who researches children's literature and children's libraries while also translating picture books, draws on her experiences and observations in Japan to provide a detailed explanation of age-appropriate reading.

 

"In Japan, children's books are primarily categorized by age into 0-3 years and 3-6 years, with intevals as short as every six months, and the largest children's book publisher even starts segmenting from 0-2 years." Su Yi Chen explains. Some readers might wonder if books differ significantly within just a few months of age difference. In reality, the cognitive development of infants and toddlers varies greatly from month to month, as evident from the way parents label their children's growth photos with precise ages like X years and Y months.

  

“Infants who have learned to walk and those who haven’t perceive the world very differently,” Su Yi Chen explains. The benefit of age-appropriate reading lies in providing relatively suitable content. “Many people mistakenly think children under 3 can’t understand books, so they mostly offer touch-and-feel teaching aids rather than picture books focused on reading. But if you read to them and they respond with sounds or excited expressions, it shows young children are actually interested in the book’s content.” Although children this age can’t yet use language, their emotions and body language speak volumes, and the 0–3 age range marks the beginning of their world exploration as well as the ideal starting point for rooting a love of reading.

 

蘇懿禎前往韓國首爾觀賞《魔法糖果》音樂劇的演出。2018年時蘇懿禎至國立歷史博物館展出的《童•樂－岩崎知弘經典插畫展》觀展。

 

In Taiwan, influenced by generational upbringing experiences, public understanding of “infant and toddler reading” remains somewhat vague. From publishers’ planning to library collections, classifications often rely on broad age bands, with few localized works specifically designed for very young children. Thus, when parents enter a library to borrow books, it’s often hard for them to quickly find age- and development-stage-appropriate reads for their child. For this reason, promoting more refined infants and toddler reading resources and creating clear, user-friendly age-segmented environments has become a shared goal for public libraries.

 

Meeting Needs Closely - Transformation and Evolution of Children's Book Areas

 

Facing the growing and diverse demands of children's reading, libraries can lead the way in making changes. Su Yi Chen shares, “Japanese children’s libraries use a simple classification: dividing books by format into infant/toddler books, picture books, bridge books, and novels, then sorting by the pronunciation of the author’s last name. Some libraries have their own systems, such as marking local authors with a Mount Fuji icon, foreign authors with a ship, or categorizing by themes like transportation or fantasy that appeal to children, making it easier for parents and kids to select books at a glance.”

 

Appropriate zoning of children’s books in libraries empowers children to find books independently. Once quality content enters their field of vision, their reading interest can gradually take root. Su Yi Chen also recommends the Tainan Public Library’s new main branch, where she was involved in planning. The children’s book area uses child-friendly terminology paired with graphic design for signage, and the shelving is highly intuitive: zones for 0–5-year-olds (Story Nook), picture books, literary fiction, nonfiction, foreign-language children’s books, and pop-up books, allowing kids to locate and read books more instinctively.

 

臺南市立圖書館新總館兒童書區以孩童視角進行圖書分類及標示，圖為立體書展示。

 

For most non-newly built libraries, Su Yi Chen suggests starting with small details, such as introducing simple digital tools or adding clearer labels to existing shelves—indicating recommended age, themes, or curated lists from the Ministry of Education. This enables libraries to continuously optimize their services, boosting parents’ book-selection efficiency while ensuring every young reader finds books they love.

 

Embrace the Original Intent - Savor the Pure Joy of Reading

 

"Reading itself is a joy." Su Yi Chen emphasizes, "We often confuse learning with reading, thinking that 'reading' is for recognizing characters, becoming smarter, or even improving writing skills—these are all goal-oriented expectations. But if you ask adults why they read, most will say it's for pure pleasure and interest." This principle holds true for children's reading as well—reading brings delight, often accompanied by precious parent-child memories. The images and stories discovered together in picture books intertwine with life experiences, continuously blooming as warm light in every child's heart.

  

Wander the Universe of Knowledge - Embark on a Parent-Child Reading Journey at the NLPI

Written by／Zhong Bi Fang

Photographer／Zhuang Zhen Feng、Jiang Ming Yang

Photos provided by the NLPI

 

Reading sparks boundless imagination and creates cherished parent-child memories. From sensory awakening to digital interaction, from shared reading to cross-disciplinary collaborations, the National Library of Public Information accompanies children in exploring reading through diverse and warm approaches. Through thoughtful space design, book selection, and activities, it builds parents' confidence in shared reading, transforming it into a joyful part of family life.

 

兒童學習中心幼兒區空間寬敞明亮，精選適齡繪本，讓學齡前親子可以自在閱讀。

 

Step into the Children's Learning Center at the National Library of Public Information (NLPI), where kids explore the dinosaur world in the panoramic story room, flip through virtual picture books in the AR experience zone, or share cozy reading moments with parents in the warm "Light Parent-Child Reading" corner. This space is more than just a library—it's a knowledge amusement park full of surprises, using games, technology, and parent-child interaction to let reading take root naturally in children's lives from an early age.

 

Sensory Awakening - Crafting a Reading Paradise for Pre-Schoolers

 

Pre-school children may not yet read words, but they are in the golden age of exploring the world through their five senses. "Pre-schoolers rely on sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste to discover their surroundings," explains NLPI Director Ma Xiang Ping. "That's why we've cleverly woven these sensory experiences into our reading activity designs."

 

In 2024, the NLPI relocated the Children's Learning Center toddler area to a much more spacious and brighter space—doubling the previous floor area—and positioned it right next to floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing children to explore amid lush greenery. The area features soft crawling mats suited for little ones, low-height bookshelves matching toddler stature, and carefully curated age-appropriate picture books, sparing parents the hassle of sifting through vast collections. "On weekends, it's packed here—grandparents, moms, and dads all bring their kids," Ma Xiang Ping says with a smile. "We're thrilled to finally have created a space where the youngest children can move about freely."

 

The library's "Baby Storytime" and "Five Senses Exploration Experience" are the most beloved picture book activities for pre-school parent-child pairs. Storytelling goes beyond mere reading, incorporating interactive singing, role-playing, and tactile experiences. For instance, in the "Go, Doctor Bear!" five-senses activity, children play doctors and nurses, caring for patients and grasping medical scenarios; when learning about hot and cold concepts, they touch objects directly to form concrete sensations. This multi-sensory guidance immerses non-reading toddlers in story worlds, letting them savor pure reading joy.

 

五感探索活動「加油，熊醫生」讓孩子們透過角色扮演理解醫療場景。

 

Tech Magic - When Traditional Reading Meets Digital Innovation

 

Technology is a double-edged sword. Ma Xiang Ping candidly admits that many parents rely on "feeding kids with phones," turning iPads into babysitters. "But technology is a tool—if used well, it can still yield positive results and expand children's reading experiences."

 

Entering the Children's Learning Center, the "Immersive Universe" interactive corridor at the entrance is designed around sustainable development themes. Children tap wall-mounted books to trigger audiovisual interactions that teach knowledge, then play a game where they must "tap away" excess CO₂ to launch a rocket—a perfect example of learning through play.

 

The "Sensory Interactive Story Room" employs 270-degree panoramic projection technology, immersing kids in scenes from *Journey to the West*, dinosaur worlds, or sea turtle conservation. To advance the story, they complete interactive tasks like tapping, waving, or moving. "This is immersive learning," Ma Xiang Ping emphasizes. "In just 10–15 minutes, children hear engaging stories while gaining new knowledge."

 

The owl-shaped "AR Augmented Reality Experience Zone" addresses caregivers who struggle with storytelling. Ma Xiang Ping observes that many grandparents bring grandchildren to the library but feel unpracticed at narrating tales. "AR picture books assist with storytelling and help grandparents and kids share reading moments at their own pace."

 

「沉浸宇宙」互動體驗廊道融入永續概念，讓親子在遊戲中快樂學習。

 

貓頭鷹造型的AR繪本互動機台，讓孩子掃描特製繪本中的圖像，搭配有趣的動畫及小遊戲，增加親子閱讀樂趣。

 

Learning Through Play - Blending STEAM Education with Themed Reading

 

NLPI designs diverse themed activities for elementary school children, blending STEAM education with everyday scenarios to transform knowledge from cold text into engaging experiences.

 

The two-year-running "Parent-Child Summer School" in 2025 focused on plants, with hands-on moss ball crafting and planting experiences that let children observe growth processes firsthand. Through actual planting, kids find it magical and fun, naturally seeking out plant-related books on their own.

 

One child kept a "Little Plant Observation Diary" post-activity, recording daily changes and reflections—fulfilling learning tasks while cultivating observation skills and writing interest. Ma Xiang Ping believes forging connections through crafts and games helps children see reading as intertwined with life, motivating deeper, ongoing exploration.

 

2025年「親子夏日小學堂」以植物為主題，透過觀察、手作與種植體驗，深化閱讀與生活的連結。

 

Parent-Child Shared Reading - Friendly Support for Parents

 

"Parents play a crucial role in pre-school children's lives," emphasizes Ma Xiang Ping. "Without their guidance and companionship, children rarely enter the world of reading." Thus, libraries must prioritize parents' needs alongside children's.

 

The NLPI's "Parent-Child Doctor Mailbox" has run for years, offering weekly themed learning sheets paired with curated picture books for families to complete after shared reading. "Parents were initially more enthusiastic, but children soon eagerly awaited each new sheet."

 

The "Themed Book Bag" design simplifies book selection, bundling picture books on topics like self-care, emotion management, and nature awareness. "Parents can quickly find age-appropriate sets based on their child's needs when borrowing," Ma Xiang Ping explains.

 

The most romantic feature in the Children's Learning Center is the "Light Parent-Child Reading" corner, tucked in the loveliest spot—by floor-to-ceiling windows with ample sunlight and lush greenery outside, furnished with cozy sofas and whimsical decor. "We want this corner to invite parents and kids to sit and read together instinctively."

 

「輕親讀」親子共讀角布置舒適沙發與童趣擺設，為家長和孩子打造一個專屬的閱讀空間。

 

Additionally, the NLPI hosts irregular parent-child education lectures featuring doctors and psychologists who explain reading's impact on child development from medical or psychological perspectives or teach shared reading techniques. Ma Xiang Ping notes that social-emotional learning—a hot topic in education—is a key focus, using diverse activities to help children recognize, express emotions, and respect others' feelings.

 

Cross-Boundary Collaborations - Bring Reading into Every Family

 

To extend children's reading reach, the NLPI actively taps external resources, spreading shared reading concepts everywhere. This includes partnering with Taichung City's Nantong Parent-Child Center, Big Feet Little Feet Co-Learning Group, and Shanghai Tun Story Association for storytelling events, or collaborating with Parenting Today and Little Roo Publishing on lectures. Plans even extend to hospitals and postpartum centers, "teaching new moms during confinement how to tell stories to babies and use reading to guide learning later."

 

Ma Xiang Ping acknowledges two major challenges in promoting children's reading: technology's impact and parental mindsets. In the digital age, children's attention spans shrink, yet reading demands deeper focus to enter textual worlds, so libraries must innovate activities ceaselessly “using games, contests, crafts, and more to immerse kids and spark reading motivation."

 

Parental attitudes are pivotal too. Ma Xiang Ping believes, "Parents are children's closest companions in growth; when they grasp and embrace reading's value, they lead kids into that world, savoring its joys together."

 

馬湘萍期待圖書館能成為孩子自由探索閱讀的起點，也讓家長在共讀中找到節奏。

 

"As a national library, we aim to deliver ever more innovative, systematic services," Ma Xiang Ping envisions NLPI's future. "Transforming the Children's Learning Center into a parent-child co-learning lab, sharing novel methods and tech applications with local libraries." The hope: libraries as starting points for kids' free reading exploration, helping parents find shared rhythms and craft unique family reading rituals from daily life.

 

Books We Grow With: Four Stories from Enlightenment to Shared Reading

Written by／Chiang Ya Ni

Photos provided by the Commonwealth Magazine, Bubu Publishing,

Hsin Yi Foundation (Hsin Yi Publications), Morning Star Publishing,

Linking Publishing, and Ching Hao Publishing

 

Some stories aren't meant to teach children to understand the world—they grow alongside the child. This is a soft, silent enlightenment: when the story enters the ears before language is fully grasped, images and sounds settle in the heart first. Returning to our own early years, the initial joy of reading wasn't about mastering text; it was learning to feel—how the world can be told, depicted, and understood. 

從啟蒙到共讀的四個故事

 

Best enlightenment books never presume teaching; instead, they act like tickets inviting us into other worlds, where characters don't provide answers but echo the questions stirring in our hearts. This "gradual understanding" style of reading—exemplified by the emotional core of the picture book One Day You Will Understand, a collaboration between German author Heike Faller and Italian illustrator Valerio Vidali—eschews elaborate explanations.

 

Through a mother-daughter dialogue about love and parting, a jar of homemade jam spanning two generations... it reappears across life's highs and lows, symbolizing the bittersweet flavors fermented by different encounters, helping us grasp that "growing up" isn't an instant sensation but a gradual realization. When the mother in the story says, "One day you will understand," her words carry no authority, only gentle trust: I believe you will, and I'm willing to wait.

 

《總有一天你會懂》

 

This patient, ripening rhythm of reading captures the true essence of early enlightenment. Shared reading moments synchronize children with the world's pulse for the first time—the cadence of text, the rise and fall of voices, the turn of pages—all a shared breath. Reading thus becomes "time to hear each other," not just in words but in the quiet flips of silence.

 

When the Fox Tells Stories: Shinmei Minami's Worldview

 

Speaking of the purity of early reading, Shinmei Minami's fox stories stand as quintessential symbols. Dubbed "the light of children's literature" in Japan, this writer penned nearly a hundred gentle yet melancholic fairy tales in his brief 30-year life. Works like Gon, the Little Fox and The Little Fox Buys Gloves... carry an almost adult sorrow yet are told in a child's language. They offer an enlightenment into "understanding the world's sadness."

 

Foxes always mimic humans imperfectly; that flawed imitation mirrors a child's journey to adulthood growing through mistakes, feeling warmth amid hurts. Adults sharing these stories often weep before the children do, glimpsing lost innocence in the characters' small lives, alongside society's admonitions against such naive belief ever again.

 

《狐狸阿權》、《小狐狸買手套》

 

Alongside Shinmei Minami, fellow Japanese children's literature titan Kenji Miyazawa steers reading toward cosmic order. Beyond the classic Night on the Galactic Railroad, his The Restaurant of Many Orders offers another gem for the child within, with its story "Acorns and the Mountain Cat" serving as inspiration for Hayao Miyazaki's My Neighbor Totoro. These tales balance light and shadow, giving fairy tales not just tenderness but metaphysical depth. During parent-child reading, children might hear only animal and starlit adventures, while adults feel a quiet sting—questions of good and evil, life, and sacrifice.

 

Their words reveal that "enlightenment" isn't about making children grasp reality prematurely; it's preserving their reverence and compassion for the unknown. Foxes and stars touch children's hearts because they never preach—they simply abide with night skies and forests, awaiting the child's approach.

 

《銀河鐵道之夜》、《要求很多的餐廳》

 

The World's Warmth: E.B. White's "Three Children"

 

If one writer truly makes "shared reading" a cross-generational experience, it must be American author E.B. White. Charlotte's Web, Stuart Little, and The Trumpet of the Swan form the 20th century's most moving children's trilogy. Their common thread: written not just for children, but for adults who still yearn to believe.

 

Take Charlotte's Web, where the spider Charlotte weaves life-saving words in her silk, not only rescuing piglet Wilbur but rekindling human imagination for language. She teaches children that words can alter fates, and kind speech forms the world's fabric—an enlightenment in reading: grasping the world's shape through text, and an ethics of coexistence.

 

White's worlds are poetic yet honest. He never sugarcoats death or shuns sorrow but always leaves a light after loss. That light isn't naive optimism; it's understanding. When parents and children share these stories, they learn to face time—how to say goodbye and not fear starting anew.

 

《夏綠蒂的網》、《小不點蕭司特》

 

Reading is Action: Becoming Little Citizens of the Earth

 

If Kenji Miyazawa and E.B. White represent the timeless spirit of reading from the past, Taiwan's audiobook culture and the ensuing podcast boom have propelled reading into greater accessibility. The renowned podcast host "Olive Mama" (欖仁媽媽), celebrated for her children's book and picture book content, has extended her reach with the Olive Mama Global News Station series—a practical modern educational bridge.

 

This set broadens "shared reading" beyond parent-child bonding to foster children's grasp of global interconnectedness. Its "World Edition" and "Life Edition" blend news with stories, enabling kids to decode current events—from climate change and war refugees to gender equality and SDGs goals—through picture books and dialogue translated into empathetic language. When parents and children read together, they simultaneously tune into the world.

 

Enlightenment takes many forms; it should approach children from varied angles and textures, showing that knowledge extends beyond school lessons into daily sensations. Reading isn't escapism but active engagement. Thus, when children encounter terms like "global warming" or "refugee camps," stories teach them not to fear or feel indifferent, empowering earlier, personal action.

 

《欖仁媽媽全球新聞臺》系列

 

Starting with Stories: Growing Up with the World

 

The works of these five authors form a kind of timeline of enlightenment: from Understanding Love in Someday You’ll Understand, to Understanding Sorrow in the works of Nanki chi Niimi and Kenji Miyazawa; from Understanding Life in E. B. White, to Understanding the World in Mommy Olive’s Global News Channel.

 

These readings are not meant to be linear progression, but a circular connection. As children grow up, they may return to that very first book, meeting themselves once more through words, rediscovering a sense of wonder and strangeness.

 

The beauty of early enlightenment and parent–child reading lies in its unhurried, non-utilitarian nature. Childhood follows a different kind of time, one that allows children to understand slowly—and allows adults to face once again the feeling of not understanding. When we read a book together, we are in fact reading a scroll of time together, sharing in each other’s growth and forgetting.

 

從啟蒙到共讀的四個故事

 

The beginning of reading does not start with recognizing words, but with being held in someone’s arms, surrounded by the sound of pages turning. When a list of books gathers into a fine river flowing past a child’s ears, it can cross hidden obstacles and eventually reach the heart that remains unbroken and still moist in adulthood.

 

The parent–child relationship is never merely that of teacher and student, nor just early education—it is two souls exploring the unknown together, playing and finding refuge in each other’s voices.

  

Where Reading Meets the Temple - A Grassroots Cultural Festival

Written by／Zhong Bi Fang

Photographer／Zhuang Zhen Feng

Photos provided by the NLPI

 

When traditional faith meets modern reading, thriving temple courtyards transform into literary havens, what sparks will fly? For the 2025 Taiwan Reading Festival, the National Library of Public Information launches the creative theme "Reading Truly Miraculous Temple" with a vibrant series, bringing libraries to temple gates for a cultural feast where "knowledge also offers blessings."

 

 國資圖「2025臺灣閱讀節」以創意主題「閱讀真奇廟」推出精彩系列活動。

 

Reading slows down thought and steadies the soul. In Taiwan, two spaces hold people's deepest hopes and strength: one, incense-filled temples offering solace through devout faith; the other, treasure-filled libraries guiding through boundless knowledge. "Some seek peace in temples, others answer in libraries," notes Tsai Chia Hsuan, officer at the National Library of Public Information (NLPI), encapsulating the 2025 Taiwan Reading Festival's core idea.

 

This bold concept emerged from an internal design thinking workshop in March 2025. NLPI staff brainstormed wildly, landing on a quirky pitch: enlist "8+9" (temple culture symbols) as reading ambassadors for maximum buzz.

 

High-contrast, provocative content thrives on social media, says Tsai Chia Hsuan with a laugh. While stereotypes of "8+9" are softening, few link temple vibes to reading scenes—offering libraries a fun entry to shatter frames and draw crowds.

 

Breaking Frames - Libraries Reach the Crowd

 

With this vision, the NLPI explored Taiwan's folk elements—household generals, procession circuits, Mazu faith—to forge surprising links with reading promotion. "Older generations sought leisure at temple gates through storytelling and glove puppetry, absorbing loyalty, filial piety, and benevolence. Why not revive temple storytelling to gather crowds and bring reading services to communities?" Tsai Chia Hsuan put this into action.

 

"Reading Truly Miraculous Temple" goes beyond outreach, recreating warm, human-centered life scenes. Temples serve as Taiwan's top community hubs, so NLPI selected three distinctive ones: Taichung's Lecheng Temple (East District), Yuanbao Temple (North District), and Dajia Jenn Lann Temple, hosting "Temple Gate Talks" in October and November 2025. The main event unfolds December 6, 2025, at NLPI's outdoor plaza, weaving all highlights into one grand showcase of faith, folklore, and literature.

 

閱讀節主活動日邀請東勁直排輪、九天民俗技藝團於國資圖戶外廣場盛大開演。　　　閱讀節主活動日邀請東勁直排輪、九天民俗技藝團於國資圖戶外廣場盛大開演。

 

Temple Gate Talks - Tradition Meets Innovation

 

Bustling temple gates transformed that day—not mere reading promo, but full library immersion: on-site memberships, new book loans, digital resource demos, senior reading pushes, book swaps, and edtech showcases. Even outdoors, crowds tapped into libraries' rich services and innovative vibe.

 

Lecheng Palace featured Taichung Puppet Theater's director Wang Yingjie on Temple Courtyard Storyhouse: Heroes from Glove Puppetry, reenacting Nezha from Investiture of the Gods. Yuanbao Palace hosted Nine Heavens Folk Arts' deputy Maria on Divine Generals & Drums: Folk Faith Reading Sparks. Dajia Jenn Lann Temple brought NTNU's Prof. Lin Mao Xian for Temple Literature Class: Mazu Faith & Folk Tales, unpacking belief and culture's layers. Each angle offered fresh insights, deepening public grasp of heritage.

 

廟口開講活動邀請臺中教育大學林茂賢副教授於大甲鎮瀾宮主講。　　　廟口開講活動邀請九天民俗技藝團瑪利亞副團長於元保宮主講。

 

Book-Scented Procession - Creative Reinterpretation of Traditions

 

Beyond expert talks, the NLPI cleverly adapted temple-goers' "stamp-collecting" during God processions into booth-challenge stations. "Festival veterans know grab a flag, stamp at each temple, tie talismans." The 2025 Taiwan Reading Festival mirrored this—visitors experienced reading services at stalls, stamped "Literary Procession" points, and redeemed custom kau cim erasers, protective amulets, or reading pancakes.

 

The hit "Silk-Screen Talisman Bookmark DIY" drew lots for poetic book matches, then crafted personal knowledge charms: wisdom, courage, healing, creativity symbols—witty designs sparking smiles post-read. "All activities aim to refocus on reading itself," says Tsai Chia Hsuan.

 

A fun twist: Taichung City Library joined with a red-wrapped mobile book van matching the festive visuals, serving crowds on-site and touring greater Taichung as a daily rolling reading landmark.

 

國資圖走進廟口推廣數位資源與電子書，現場不僅能立即辦證，還能體驗AI智慧推薦書單、互動找書等創新服務。　　　與臺中市立圖書館合作打造「閱讀真奇廟」行動書車，在活動現場服務民眾。

 

Knowledge as Blessing - Reading as Spiritual Strength

 

The slogan "Knowledge also offers blessings" captures the NLPI's deep vision for reading promotion.

 

In the fast AI age, reading grounds and slows the pace. "Devout worshipers focus intently on divine protection; readers, immersed in books, gain mental calm and thought sparks," says Tsai Chia Hsuan—explaining faith as the festival's entry point, revealing reading's soothing grace.

 

With social-emotional learning rising, screen overload erodes feeling skills and self-care. "Finishing a book quietly rebuilds emotional value," Tsai Chia Hsuan notes, positioning reading as vital heart-tuning amid digital whirls.

 

Cross-Boundary Collaboration - Reinventing Reading Concepts

 

The Reading Festival drew strong enthusiasm for "Temple Gate Talks," with vibrant feedback from attendees. The December 6 main event at NLPI's outdoor plaza relocated temple activities, amplified by performances from Nine Heavens Folk Arts, Dong Jin Inline Skaters, and Smile Recitation Group, climaxing the "Reading Culture Temple Fair."

 

國資圖將閱讀與信仰巧妙融合，開啟獨特的知識探索體驗。

 

NLPI showcased 2025's second-generation "AI Book Finder," more flexible than its predecessor—no borrowing history needed; just input queries for personalized recommendations, earning wide reader acclaim.

 

The librariy will integrate with night markets and wet markets next, alongside online reading and social media engagement. "Reading Truly Miraculous Temple" fuses faith and literacy, sparking joy in discovering timeless cultural and generational dialogue.

  

Step into Czech Literary Landscapes - Opening Windows to the World Through Reading

Written by／Huang Hong Xin

Photographer／Zhuang Zhen Feng

Photos provided by the NLPI

 

To promote international reading collaboration and cultural exchange, the National Library of Public Information has established "Window on the World" on the 3rd floor of its main building, creating a multilingual, multi-themed international collection zone. Following the France and Germany collection areas, the "Czech Collection Area" opened in September 2025, inviting readers to step into the Czech literary world through books and embark on a vibrant journey of Czech culture.

 

捷克典藏區揭牌儀式與會貴賓合影。

 

The National Library of Public Information (NLPI) joined forces with Czech Centre Taipei and the Czech Economic and Cultural Office to unveil the "Czech Collection Area" on September 26, 2025. This features nearly 100 curated Czech literary classics and contemporary titles, complemented by signature exhibits like traditional Czech puppets (louka) and folk costumes (Kroj), guiding readers from books into Europe's landscapes and deep Czech literary-cultural heritage.

 

Picture Books Spark Collaboration - Czech Collection Takes Shape

 

The Czech Collection Area sits on the 3rd floor of NLPI's "Window on the World" zone, featuring olive green—symbolizing peace and hope—with window-shaped shelves conveying "read the world through its windows." Multilingual, cross-cultural books offer borderless reading adventures.

 

NLPI's Multicultural Services notes the October 2024 "World Picture Book Center" launch featured curator Tomáš Řízek's exhibit, sparking Czech ties. In 2025 Taipei Book Fair, Director Ma Xiang Ping forged partnerships with Czech Centre Taipei and the Cultural Office for sustained reading exchanges.

 

April 2025's "Here and Now: Contemporary Czech Comics" previewed diverse literary art. September's grand opening synced custom shelves and special shows, heralding fresh Taiwan-Czech cultural dialogue.

 

捷克典藏區開幕特展豐富多元的展品，構築一個令人身歷其境的文化體驗空間。捷克典藏區開幕特展精選近百本捷克文學經典與當代出版品，並搭配捷克木偶、傳統服飾等文物展出。 

 

Multilingual Collections - Exploring Czech Literary Landscapes

 

The Czech Collection Area extends selections from "Here and Now: Contemporary Czech Comics," showcasing new gems like 2023-2025 Magnesia Litera winners and classics from the Česká knihovna project, offering a literary feast. Rare Czech originals join English/Chinese editions spanning classics, cultural guides, and comics by Franz Kafka, Bohumil Hrabal, and Milan Kundera.

 

Czech Economic and Cultural Office rep David Steinke spotlights the Anča a Pepík (Annie and Joey) comic series by Lucie Lomová—Czech kids' top pick for decades, blending whimsy and cultural depth.

 

捷克經濟文化辦事處代表David Steinke(右)、國資圖館長馬湘萍(中)、捷克中心臺北主任馬凱棠Markéta Lipold Záhumenská(左)一同推薦當代捷克漫畫作品。

 

Expanding New Horizons - Creating Cross-Cultural Reading Spaces

 

The Czech Collection Area marks a key step for NLPI in advancing international reading and cultural exchange. From exhibitions to comics and classics in multiple languages, readers explore Czech culture via Kafka, Hrabal, Kundera, and child-friendly Anča a Pepík series, experiencing reading as a bridge to the world. This expands collections while enriching library functions—children enjoy fun comics, adults delve into translated masterpieces, forging connections to imagined realms. NLPI will partner further with global institutions for diverse, inspiring spaces that truly dialogue with the world.

 
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