Introduction

Big Brother Mouse, Aai Nuu Noi  is a not-for-profit, licensed by the government since 2006. This education project was started by a retired American publisher working with several bright and dedicated Laotian college students.  Book publishing at that time was a rare event in Laos. We created new ways to make fun books for young readers, and then developed ways to get those books to children in rural villages. 

The project uses the slogan, “Books that make literacy fun!” Its first books, published in 2006, were easy picture books designed to have a strong appeal for children. Since then, it has expanded to publish books for all ages, designed not only to make reading fun, but also to share information about the wider world.  A growing number of titles focus on health, nutrition, history, and science.

 

Current initiatives

• Higher education for young adults

Our learning center, Big Sister Mouse, has young adult students as well as children. The young adults learn many of the skills they didn’t get in high school, ranging from academic skills (writing, English, math, computers) to broader problem-solving skills.

We use many interactive, hands-on techniques. Here, one student is learning Scratch, which teaches how to write computer programs by moving blocks which contain commands, rather than typing them out. (That’s hard enough for native English speakers to do without making a typo, and much harder for Lao students.) English, when they can practice one-on-one conversation with visitors, is the favorite for nearly everyone. More about Big Sister Mouse.

• Primary school

For younger children, we offer classes with the standard Lao curriculum but, as with young adults, we focus on interactive approaches. When visitors volunteer for a day or a week, children get to learn English — and they learn fast. Often we combine several activities. In the Happy Snake game, everybody gets three cards. If they can combine those numbers, using standard math symbols, to make the number the dealer called, they advance one square toward the snake’s head. “It was the best day of my whole vacation,” said one visitor.

• Publishing

Since 2006 we’ve published more than 400 books. Our first books were for children learning to read. Now we’ve published on a wide variety of subjects, from women’s health to the countries of ASEAN, from traditional fairy tales to the diary of Anne Frank.

Traditional Lao fairy tales are the most popular books for all ages. These stories help new readers develop their reading skills. Then they get enthusiastic about other books too, because a top priority for us is to publish books that people are eager to read. Children have enjoyed our nature series, with books about life in the sea, insects, and (of course) dinosaurs. Older readers eagerly share a Lao cookbook, the first they’ve ever seen.

• Silent reading program

Reading is fun. It improves general communication skills, as well as reading skills. Books can help us improve our health, get better jobs, and see how other countries have solved the challenges that we face – or what happened if they didn’t.

At many schools in Laos, we’ve started a program of daily reading. We leave enough books in each classroom for them to read every day. Most of these schools had no books at all that children could read for enjoyment, until Big Brother Mouse came. More about Silent reading.