Skip to main content

Will this mobile library drive Egyptian kids to read?

An Egyptian teacher has been roaming the villages of Egypt in his vehicle, distributing books and telling stories, in a bid to bridge the cultural gap between the villages and cities.
tales_ride.jpg
Read in 

More than 50 children in the village of Arab Shams in the Sharqiyah governorate found out that Tales Ride, a bus that drives through Egypt to give free books to children, was going to visit their village on May 17. The children were excited about attending an interesting storytelling session run by the owner of the vehicle, English teacher Haitham al-Sayyed.

When that day came, Sayyed and a group of children between the ages of 5 and 12 escaped the hot sun and sat in the shade of a big tree along the edges of a field. The children sat in a circle listening to tales they had never heard before, but the highlight of their day was when each child got a storybook of their own, carefully selected by Sayyed according to the children's ages and interests.

Access the Middle East news and analysis you can trust

Join our community of Middle East readers to experience all of Al-Monitor, including 24/7 news, analyses, memos, reports and newsletters.

Subscribe

Only $100 per year.