Back for its third edition, the popular and successful National Library Board (NLB) programme aims to invigorate the love of reading among children through exciting play.
Photo Credit: National Library Board (NLB)
Brand New Look
Book Bugs: Explorers of Stories Past is a bug-themed collectible card game highlighting exciting new content based on local and regional stories and folktales in English and mother tongue languages (MTLs).Â
The programme incorporates gamification elements to transform the way children read. Players are awarded points when they borrow books or eBooks. The points can then be used to redeem Book Bugs cards, which are available for redemption starting 14 December 2020. There will also be various quizzes and programmes that give opportunities for players to earn bonus points and Book Bugs merchandise.
The programme will feature pop-up events and playoffs, which provide opportunities for children to take part in language games and collect tokens. Children will get to play against each other with their collected cards. In addition, patrons can earn chances to win a Book Bugs Explorerâs Kit in the Bug-a-thon lucky draw by borrowing physical books and eBooks in MTLs. All events will have safe management measures in place.
All-New Book Bugs Experience & New Stories To Explore
Book Bugs: Explorers of Stories Past is set in the mythical period before stories were put into books, when bugs used to roam free and had the chance to transform every time a story was told. Here, the bugs serve as a metaphor for characters in specific stories and children get to âtravelâ through different mythical lands while collecting these bugs.
This latest edition of Book Bugs expands on previous editions by diving into local and regional stories, folklore, and trivia while also focusing on mother tongue languages. The bugs are based on Singapore stories and folktales such as Attack of the Swordfish and Badang, as well as stories from the region, such as Sang Kancil, Madame White Snake, and Tenali Raman, to name a few. Some cards will present trivia in both English and a second language including Chinese, Malay or Tamil.
New features of this Book Bugs programme include:
- 74 exciting new cards â 35 English cards and 39 Bilingual cards (13 from each language).
- Cards that will be released in phases, according to the four different lands that the bugs reside in (Magical Forests, Mysterious Seas, Mystical Mountains and Marvellous Homes).
- All public libraries, except library@esplanade, library@orchard and library@chinatown, and Choa Chu Kang Public Library, which is currently under renovations, will have card dispensers.
- Monthly quizzes from which to earn bonus points.
