Why a Booktrail?
Late 1990s: A charming children’s story about Luis who loves to read and so creates a travelling library. Based on a real life and very amazing true story!
Biblioburro
What you need to know before your trail
Luis loves to read, but soon his house in Colombia is so full of books there’s barely room for the family. Now he could keep all of his books but he quite likes the idea of sharing them and the stories they contain. So with that in mind, he buys two donkeys – Alfa and Beto–and travels with them throughout the land, bringing books and reading to the children in faraway villages.
This book was actually based and inspired by a real life tale!
Travel Guide
The true story behind this charming children’s book is just as remarkable as the book suggests. For it tells the story of one man – Luis Soriano – who started with a collection of books that continued to grow and grow as he travelled over the hills and plains of Colombia in search of new readers.
We’ve never seen such a library before and he very idea that your book delivery will come via a donkey – an animal which if hungry enough might even be tempted to gnaw on the book itself – is very funny and very charming!
The real life Bibioburro travels far and wide giving books and growing the imagination of people in rural communities who might not otherwise have had access to such books.
Now this is a man (and in the book a boy) with a true passion for reading that is as heartwarming as it sounds. The fact that the story has been ‘immortalised’ in this way in a children’s books with gorgeous illustrations just makes the story even more charming than it already is.
The image of the donkeys moving slowly and at times with a stubborness you would only find in a mule, creates a setting and mental imagery that lingers long after you’ve read the final page.
Watch the You tube video of this man’s mission – youtube.com/Biblioburro
There’s a good article here – laserrana.com.co/blog/biblio-burro/
Where Next?
