Project Participation: "Please Tell Me the Words That Remain in Your Heart"

I used to be involved in activities related to children's books, so I was in and out of libraries quite often.

The words the library director at the time said were,

"Books are of no use just sitting there. It is only when there is someone to hand them over that a book fulfills its purpose."

For a child to encounter a book, the presence of an adult to hand it to them is necessary.

Because of those words, one of my colleagues opened a home library, and I spent all my time there.

Activities to deliver books to children began with adults who loved books and were healed by being in places surrounded by them.

I had planned and managed events at the library, but the children who come to the library with their parents are limited. It's only a small fraction.

We had to go into the elementary schools.

I wanted many children to know the goodness of books. I wanted to read picture books to them.

I approached the school, but at the time, it was unprecedented for parents to enter the school for anything other than PTA meetings or class observations, so I was initially refused.

But after negotiating many times,
"Only for the sixth graders,"
"Only during the autumn reading week,"

The rules gradually loosened, and we were eventually given time every morning to read picture books aloud.

I was always drawn into the shining eyes of the children looking at the books.
Being able to share and enjoy the fact that books are interesting. That alone was enough for me.

**

The picture book I encountered back then, 'Miss Rumphius',

"You must do something to make the world more beautiful."

It is a story about Alice, who travels around the world looking for what she can do to fulfill the promise she made to her grandfather when she was a child.

Since people are born, they are given some kind of role from heaven.

Reading that message,

I realized my own role: that I had been reading books and living a life of loving books since I was a child, precisely to spread the goodness of books and hand them over to others.

People often talk about a journey of self-discovery, but it turns out it's often closer than you think, even without traveling.

Even now, I don't just read aloud; I deliver many picture books to kindergartens and elementary schools and enjoy them together with the children.

**

This time, I participated in Zero-san's project.

I respect Zero-san for consistently continuing and building up everything, turning it into their own strength.

As for me, I tend to fade out of everything.

I am grateful for this project, as it allowed me to look back quite far into the past. Thank you for your consideration.

Thank you for reading until the end.