When I Grow Up I want to be a Doctor - Book Launch
The children and teachers set up an entire pretend “Koki Markets’ Hospital” at their Library Learning Centre to launch a new book entitled ‘When I Grow Up, I want to be a Doctor’ published by Buk bilong Pikinini.
This is the 5th reader to be launched during Book Week 2023 and brings the total number of readers in the ‘When I Grow Up’ series to 19 books. BbP has dedicated Book Week to the theme “My Future Career” to create opportunities for the children to understand the importance of education through play-based learning activities, as they think about what they want to be when they grow up.
The event included an official launch reading by Dr. Vincent Pyakalyia, Senior Advisor Health, Santos, who is featured as the role model doctor in the book and 5-year-old mini professional talent Adriel Veratau dressed in their scrubs.
Following the reading, “patients” could visit friendly “nurses” at the triage station and be sent off to visit “specialist doctors”, which included “an Optometrist” to check eyesight and an Orthopaedic surgeon carrying out “X-rays to treat patients for broken bones. “A pretend Pharmacy“ with “CPL pharmacists and nurses” had all the “medication” (jellybeans) needed to make the patients feel better.
BbP Executive Officer Leanne Resson and Founder/Chairperson Anne-Sophie Hermann also took the occasion during Book Week to pay a visit to Dr. Uke Kombra, Secretary of the Department of Education to present him with a copy of the entire collection of readers and share the stories of all the wonderful work the teachers, parents, children and BbP team have been engaged in to make it a successful and educational Book Week for children enrolled in the organisation’s ECE program.
The reader books have been published by BbP with financial support from the Sir Brian Bell Foundation. The children have been beautifully captured in their mini professional roles by BbP and Photographer Roan Paul with editing carried out by BbP Founder, Anne-Sophie Hermann and Wild Dog books.
The professions in the reader series now include a Pilot (PNG Air), - Teacher (BbP), - Store Manager (Brian Bell), - ICT Officer (Niunet), - Farmer (9 Mile Farm/Ilimo Dairy), – Paramedic (St Johns Ambulance), - Architect (Pacific Palms Property), - Pastry Chef (Airways Hotel), - Heavy Equipment Operator (Hastings Deering), - Engineer (ExxonMobil), - Pharmacist & Nurse (CPL), Banker (BSP), Archaeologist (National Museum and Art Gallery), Graphic Designer (Theodist), Rugby Player (with Ase Boas), Lawyer (Dentons Lawyers) and a Doctor (Santos). A Zoo Keeper (Port Moresby Nature Park) will be launched during Literacy Week (4-8th of September) alongside a student activity book about PNG animals.
All books published by Buk bilong Pikinini can be purchased from Theodist or directly from Buk bilong Pikinini’s office or webshop: https://bukbilongpikinini.charity
An additional 6 readers are currently in production and will be launched during Book Week 2024.
Children enrolled at BbP’s Library Learning Centres across PNG have studied the different professions with play-based learning activities, field trips, visits from professionals and plenty of reading.
The Book Week launch events and library activities have been supported with refreshments and items from Ilimo Dairy Farm/9 Mile Farm, Royal Papua Yacht Club, Hastings Deering, SVS/Indomilk, Supreme Industries, City Pharmacy Water, Sir Brian Bell Foundation, Santos Foundation and ExxonMobil PNG.
