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BRING ME A BOOK HONG KONG LAUNCHES WORLD’S FIRST BILINGUAL SEARCH ENGINE FOR CHILDREN’S BOOKS IN ENGLISH AND CHINESE

March 4, 2021, Hong Kong: Bring Me a Book Hong Kong (BMABHK), the leading advocate for family literacy, announced the launch of the world’s first ever bilingual search engine for recommended English and Chinese children’s books at https://findmeabook.bringmeabook.org.hk.

To celebrate World Book Day, BMABHK proudly presents 1,800 curated books, including titles for newborns and children through early secondary school, and for parents and educators seeking guidance on nurturing family literacy and holistic child development. Unique to BMABHK’s search engine, parents and educators can now search titles for 100 topics to be used as tools to open meaningful conversations with children on the importance of diversity, community and environmentalism, as well as on critical developmental areas such as empathy, confidence, resilience, and special needs.

The new platform is a labour of love, the result of an incredible number of volunteer hours donated by a wide range of educational and literacy specialists, librarians, and consultants who have generously dedicated their time and expertise to research, tag and thoughtfully select from hundreds of thousands of books for positive child development. Sponsored by The HSBC Hong Kong Community Partnership Programme, BMABHK’s Find Me a Book microsite is a free community service driven out of a passion to help Hong Kong parents raise empathetic, inquiring and engaged leaders.

“Since the formation of Bring Me a Book Hong Kong in 2006, we have invested more than $52 million into our programs to help over 180,000 underprivileged children by creating 460 libraries, hosting 134 author visits and delivering 1,700 training sessions. As the leading voice for family reading and literacy, we believe in the power of reading. We are dedicated to provide expertise and resources to parents and schools to support each step of the child’s reading journey. As one of the key initiatives for 2021, Find Me a Book will allow parents and schools to select quality books much more easily - with just a click of a button,” said Alison Chan, Board Chair of Bring Me A Book Hong Kong.

“By thoughtfully selecting a high-quality range of books, we hope to open a gateway towards developing critical thinking skills, nurturing family values, and fostering a lifelong love of reading and learning. Bring Me a Book Hong Kong believes that when we give every child access to more quality books, we open the door to inspire and empower children to make a difference in our world,” said Michelle Bang, Board Member and Chair of the Book Selection Committee.

Evidence has shown that children who are reading from birth not only experience stronger parent-child relationships but also demonstrate greater brain activity and development of valuable language and literacy skills. Further, children who enter kindergarten with poor literacy skills are at a significant disadvantage and are unlikely to catch up with their peers. Research also shows that reading together should continue for as long as possible past independent reading to engage older children in more complex conversations and understanding. Exposure to increasingly sophisticated language and learning concepts through high-quality books are therefore essential throughout a child’s reading life even at an older age.

Stay tuned for a new batch of 100+ selected titles to be released every season with the next batch in Summer 2021. Links are provided to help users easily check availability at Hong Kong Public Libraries and from BMABHK’s Family and School Membership Library in Wan Chai. And now through our new online bookstore partnerships, including, Book Depository and Open House, you can purchase these recommended books with a small percentage of proceeds to help support BMABHK and our work to foster a love of reading for every child in Hong Kong. Find out more at: https://findmeabook.bringmeabook.org.hk.

REFERENCES:

The American Academy of Pediatrics. Literacy Promotion: An Essential Component of Primary Care Pediatric Practice, Pediatrics: The Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, August 2014, 134 (2) 404-409; DOI: https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/134/2/404
Bast, J., & Reitsma, P. Analyzing the Development of Individual Differences in Terms of Matthew Effects in Reading: Results from a Dutch Longitudinal Study. Developmental Psychology, 1998, 34(6), 1373-1399; DOI: https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0012-1649.34.6.1373
Ledger, S., & Merga, M. Reading Aloud: Children’s Attitudes Toward Being Read to at Home and at School, Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 2018, 43(3), Article 8, DOI: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1174201.pdf

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR OTHER BMABHK READING PROGRAMS:

For schools and families: Join our BMABHK Membership. For an annual fee of HK$1100, gain exclusive access to membership benefits, including the ability to borrow from our extensive BMABHK library.
For schools: Join BMABHK’s School Program that include author visits, toolkits for schools to celebrate World Book Day and parent workshops, professional development talks and storytelling for students.

For students aged 9 and up: Join our NEW Junior Staff Readers Program. Be a part of an engaged volunteer student group who helps us to continue making our book selections robust by reading through and selecting their favorite book titles from our recommended range.

Alia Eyres – CEO of Mother’s Choice

“We are so grateful to BMABHK, not only for giving us a library full of beautiful books, but also for the training to equip our volunteers to be official “story tellers”. Our children love it when our volunteers read stories to them, and despite their young age or special needs, they always ask for “more”! Thank you so much for this amazing gift of teaching our children the love of reading.”

Christina Suen – Bring Me A Book Family Member since 2018

I learnt about Bring Me A Book Hong Kong (BMABHK) through a friend. The first time I visited their office/ library, I was totally impressed by the collection of books and the knowledgeable yet friendly staff. The books there have been carefully selected, sorted by age, and include both popular series and hidden gems. As a family member, I can borrow four books each time, and every time it is challenge to decide which books to borrow because they are all so interesting. In the end, I have to rely on BMAB’s staff recommendations, which is invaluable because every time they are able to pick books that my children adore and read repeatedly. I am grateful that we joined BMABHK’s membership program, so we can access their library of well-curated books, and also for the opportunity for us to contribute to the meaningful programs supported by BMABHK.

ABOUT BRING ME A BOOK HONG KONG:

Bring Me a Book Hong Kong™ (BMABHK) is an award-winning non-profit literacy organization in Hong Kong with a mission to promote reading to our children, provide access to books, strengthen family and community bonds, and encourage a love of learning. We use evidence-based research to provide:

Transformational trainings for parents and educators
Hand selected and recommended Chinese and English children’s books
Quality programs to access authors and literacy experts

Since inception in 2006, we have installed over 450 libraries, served 180,000 children from low-income communities through our library programs. Our First Teachers Training, for parents and educators, is an award-winning program that has proven to significantly increase ability and confidence in selecting and reading aloud books amongst families.

The Need in Hong Kong:

According to a global research study, Hong Kong has the lowest rate of family literacy in the world with only 12% of parents engaging in pre-school literacy activities, less than a third of the international average of 37%.
While Primary 4 children in Hong Kong scored highest in reading achievement, the same children also scored LOWEST (out of 43 countries surveyed) in interest to read (21% vs international average 28%), confidence to read (20% vs international average 36%) and motivation to read (52% vs international average 74%).
Research shows that access to quality books is fundamental to reading success and that reading aloud to children is critical for school success.

For media enquiries please contact Yvonne Leung at yvonne@bringmeabook.org.hk or call (852) 2127 4533.