Article provided by National Library Board

What can children look forward to in the latest Book Bugs: Explorers of Stories Past?

Explorers rejoice: The eagerly anticipated Book Bugs programme by the National Library Board (NLB) is back again in its third edition - and it promises to be a big hit for young readers!

PHOTO: NATIONAL LIBRARY BOARD

Igniting the joy of reading in children through gamification, young explorers are awarded points each time they borrow a book or an eBook from the library. Starting from 14 December, explorers can head down to their nearest public library to redeem attractive Book Bugs game cards at dispenser machines using their accumulated points.

In this edition - Book Bugs: Explorers of Stories Past - young readers will be immersed in new content based on local and regional stories, folklore, and trivia in English and mother tongue languages. The 74 exciting bug characters in this new collection are based on Singapore stories and folktales such as Attack of the Swordfish and Badang, as well as popular regional stories from the likes of Sang Kancil to Madame White Snake. With the introduction of bilingual cards in this edition, NLB hopes to encourage children to be open to reading more books in their mother tongue languages.

First introduced in 2016, the last iteration of NLB's Book Bugs initiative generated over 11 million book loans from close to 140,000 children. It is part of NLB's Readers for Life, Learning Communities and Knowledgeable Nation to foster awareness, appreciation, and greater discovery of Singapore's rich history and culture, and the region.

How can my kids earn points?

The adventure begins in these easy steps:

First, children will have to sign up for a myLibraryID if they have not already done so. This can be done at the borrowing stations at public libraries, or over the web or via the NLB Mobile App.

Next, borrow books to earn points. Each book or eBook will award explorers with one point. So, the more kids read, the more points will be awarded (subject to daily limits). Children can also earn extra points by participating in Foxy Roxy's online quizzes.

Explorers can also look forward to physical pop-up events and playoffs which provide opportunities for children to collect tokens by participating in language-based games and activities.

Game to win more? Young readers can also check out Lil' Deer's Bug-a-thon Reading Challenge for a chance to win a specially crafted Book Bugs Explorer's kit when they borrow mother tongue language books.

Find out more about the Book Bugs: Explorers of Stories Past here.

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