Blue Bag treasures
The Blue Bag is a miniature mobile library which visits libraries and schools in Greece. A trained presenter based in a Greek city or at one of OPEB’s libraries goes out with the Blue Bag every day to visit nearby villages. The mini mobile library contains about 100 books on topics such as ancient Greece, Africa, birds, wheat and bread – or, for older children, the Bauhaus school. When the Blue Bag arrives at a school, the presenter introduces the theme to children with the help of a file full of objects, photographs, and music related to the topic. It takes three or four people up to three months to prepare the material for one theme. During the presentation the Blue Bag remains closed, and the presenter uses only one or two books. Then, the children open the bag and out comes a plethora of books about the subject. Each child chooses one book. Through this book, the child can learn more about the subject’s history, admire the photographs or enjoy a fairy tale. The children all gain familiarity with books and gradually start becoming readers.
