The popular Book Bugs collectible cards are back at the public libraries.

They are part of an initiative by the National Library Board (NLB) to encourage children to read.

From now until Sept 30 next year, kids will earn one point for each book and audio-visual material borrowed at public libraries or the electronic version borrowed from the NLB mobile app (mobileapp.nlb.gov.sg). They can redeem a Book Bugs card with every four points.

For the first time, about half of the 74 new cards feature English and a mother tongue language - Chinese, Malay or Tamil. The previous 2016 and 2018 editions of Book Bugs cards were only in English.

Kids can learn trivia about the bug characters, which are from Singapore stories and folktales such as Attack Of The Swordfish, as well as regional ones such as Sang Kancil and Madame White Snake.

When children borrow books in mother tongue languages, they stand to win water bottles, plush toys, folders, enamel pins and notebooks in lucky draws.

For more information, go to go.gov.sg/bookbugs

Elisa Chia