The "Happy Reading" project book list has been released; the China Youth Development Foundation and the Beijing News jointly launched and hosted the "Challenge 8 Hours" hiking race to raise funds for this project.
On September 8, over two thousand caring individuals will gather at the YuDu Mountain Scenic Area in Yanqing to practice philanthropy through the power of walking.
The China Youth Development Foundation and the Beijing News jointly launched and hosted the "Challenge 8 Hours" 2012 Charity Hiking Race, using a brand-new philanthropic approach to raise funds for the Happy Reading Project under Project Hope. All proceeds will be used to establish reading bases in primary schools in impoverished areas such as Haiyuan County in Ningxia and Longyang District in Baoshan City, Yunnan.
Beijing News Report Recently, this newspaper has continuously covered the "Challenge 8 Hours" cross-country race, a fundraising event conducted through hiking. All proceeds raised from the event will go to the "Happy Reading" project to purchase books for primary schools in impoverished areas such as Haiyuan County in Ningxia and Longyang District in Baoshan City, Yunnan. What kind of books the children can read through this public welfare project has become a topic of public interest.
Yesterday, the China Youth Development Foundation stated that the project specially hired experts who selected 30 suitable extracurricular books for children of different grades from the latest book lists developed by educational research institutions. Experts said that the selected book list follows the principles of children's reading and can meet the reading needs of the supported students.
30 out of 100 books selected
A relevant official from the China Youth Development Foundation introduced that the books chosen for the "Happy Reading" project come from the "China Primary School Students' Basic Reading Book List." This book list includes a total of 100 Chinese and foreign books, comprising 30 basic reading titles and 70 recommended reading titles. For the "Happy Reading" project, considering factors such as price and copyright, 30 books were selected from the list. These include outstanding works by Chinese authors such as "The Grass House" and "Shuke and Beita Airline," as well as classic foreign children's books such as "Selected Grimm's Fairy Tales" and "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." These 30 books are divided into three grade levels: lower level (grades 1–2), middle level (grades 3–4), and upper level (grades 5–6), with 10 books for each level. According to recommendations from reading experts, the 10 books for each level cover three categories: literature, science, and humanities.
The reason for choosing the "China Primary School Students' Basic Reading Book List" as the source is that the New Reading Research Institute, which developed the list, also visited rural areas to investigate the current state of children's extracurricular reading materials. The CYDF has had multiple exchanges with the New Reading Research Institute. Whether in terms of professionalism or practicality, this book list aligns with the project’s mission of "cultivating students' reading interest and habits," and the experts from the institute are also willing to select suitable books for the project.
Book selection follows three principles
Hai Fei, Vice Chairman of the China Publishing Association and Director of the Children's Reading Materials Committee, who participated in the book selection process for the "Happy Reading" project, introduced that when selecting books for children, the experts followed principles such as "choosing good books," "grading the books," and "creating a good mix," in line with children's reading patterns.
"A good book can potentially influence a person’s entire life," said Hai Fei. Most of the selected titles are award-winning children's books recognized nationally each year, as well as classic foreign children's books. "Award-winning books have expert oversight and reader endorsements, while classic foreign books allow Chinese children to stand on the same starting line as their international peers in reading."
Regarding the principle of "grading the books," Hai Fei explained that "graded reading" is a reading concept with practical experience imported from abroad. It mainly ensures that children of different age groups read materials suitable for their growth and development. "The books should not be too difficult or too easy—they must be age-appropriate." Therefore, the Happy Reading project divides the books into three levels: lower, middle, and upper grades according to the graded reading principle.
In addition, the experts also considered the principle of "creating a good mix." The book list includes literary works such as "Selected Andersen's Fairy Tales" to enhance children's vocabulary, imagination, and other literary skills, as well as science books like "Insect Lore" and "101 Water Experiments" to help children understand scientific concepts and principles. There are also humanistic books such as "The Story of Confucius" for spiritual education. "The book list avoids being one-dimensional, providing children with a scientifically sound and reasonable reading package."
■ Follow-up Questions
Setting up reading classes to prevent books from being "worshipped"
Public welfare projects like "donating books to rural children" are not uncommon, but whether the donated books are truly "put to good use" has been a concern for the public and charitable organizations.
Tu Meng, Secretary-General of the China Youth Development Foundation, introduced that the CYDF once provided extracurricular reading materials to rural schools through the "Hope Library" initiative, but several issues subsequently emerged: the books on the list were more suitable for older children, there were fewer children's books, and many rural schools did not have reading classes, so many books ended up locked away.
Tu Meng said this was related to the per-student book ownership standards set by the Ministry of Education, as well as the schools’ attitude toward books. "For example, due to concerns about damaging hard-to-obtain extracurricular books, they are often not borrowed." As a result, these extracurricular books, which should have circulated among students, ended up being "worshipped" instead.
Through reflection, the CYDF began adjusting the project and launched "Happy Reading" to ensure the books are actually read. To prevent the donated extracurricular books from becoming mere decorations, the project will sign agreements with local government departments at pilot sites, requiring reading classes to be included in the curriculum system, with at least one reading class per week. At the same time, the project will also train reading guidance teachers for rural primary schools. "Because reading involves techniques, there should be teachers to guide the children—through shared reading, listening to others read, writing reading notes, holding reading sharing sessions, and other methods—to stimulate their interest in reading."
The CYDF will also organize experts to conduct regular follow-ups, provide guidance, and monitor progress to promote reading sharing activities in rural primary schools.
■ Voices from the Public
Book selection should not differ between urban and rural areas
Reading good books is the right of every child. The principle of fair treatment is even more important to rural children. We have often seen that whenever the publishing industry labels something as a "rural children's book package" or "books for rural donation," it often provokes resentment among children. Rural children very much hope to be treated equally, so whether it's charitable organizations or individual companies, the same standards should be applied when selecting books for children in rural areas.
——Hai Fei, Vice Chairman of the China Publishing Association and Director of the Children's Reading Materials Committee
Guidance and graded reading are very important
Extracurricular books are very scarce in rural schools, and everyone is aware of this. So the traditional approach has been to donate books to these schools. But many rural schools have set up libraries without managing them or conducting reading activities. The "Happy Reading" project not only provides extracurricular books for rural students but also trains teachers to carry out reading education activities, helping children read better and enjoy the pleasure of reading. In addition, book grading is important—books should be selected based on the appropriate age level. For example, younger children prefer picture books, while middle and higher grade students tend to like science and interest-based books.
——An Zhu (online name), initiator of the "Carry an Extra Kilogram" campaign
■ Q&A Clarification
After our continuous coverage of the "Challenge 8 Hours" cross-country race and the "Happy Reading" project, it has drawn attention from some members of the public. In response to questions commonly raised by citizens, the China Youth Development Foundation has provided answers.
1. Can members of the public donate books directly?
Answer: The project does not accept physical book donations. First, as designed, the project is intended to raise funds from society—accepting monetary donations, then purchasing books in bulk, and making systematic donations. Second, accepting direct book donations would also create logistical issues, such as storage and disinfection. Most importantly, there is a need to screen donated books for content legality and suitability for children. Therefore, the project only accepts monetary donations, not physical items.
2. Can members of the public purchase and donate books according to the published book list?
Answer: Yes, you can purchase and donate books for rural primary school students based on the book list and the school addresses published online, but this is considered an individual action. Whether the books purchased through personal efforts ultimately reach the children and how they are used is not within the supervision scope of the Youth Development Foundation—it is the responsibility of the donor.
3. How can we ensure that the books ultimately reach the children?
Answer: The pricing of all books is published on the official website, and the entire process of donation management and usage will be fully transparent. Once the book selection and procurement are completed, the books will be delivered to the county-level Communist Youth League committee at the recipient location. Schools are required to send a receipt upon receiving the books and provide feedback in the form of photos showing the on-site book receiving and distribution process. Each book that reaches the children will include a postcard, and we will also send the addresses of donors with clear donation intentions to the corresponding schools. Children can send postcards to the donors as a token of thanks and as proof that the books have been received.
"Project Hope Happy Reading" Book List
The "Project Hope Happy Reading" books consist of three sets, recommended by reading experts and covering literature, science, and humanities. Based on the principle of graded reading, they are divided into three levels: lower level (Grades 1–2), middle level (Grades 3–4), and upper level (Grades 5–6), with 10 books per level.
Lower Primary Level (Grades 1–2)
● Literature
Hundred-Year Nursery Rhymes: Grandma’s Bridge
I Want to See the Sea (The Adventures of Carnelle)
Belly Wolf Under the Moonlight
Selected Grimm's Fairy Tales
The Adventures of Pinocchio
Me and My Little Sister Klara
● Science
Animals in Danger (Discover Science)
A Journey Through the Human Body (The Magic School Bus)
● Humanities
Three Character Classic, Thousand Character Classic, and Disciple’s Rules
Chinese Mythology Stories
Middle Primary Level (Grades 3–4)
● Literature
A Thousand Family Poems
The Secret of the Magic Gourd
Selected Andersen’s Fairy Tales
The Adventures of Shuke and Beita Airlines
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Peter Pan
● Science
101 Water Experiments (101 Amazing Experiments)
Surviving an Earthquake (My First Science Comic Book)
● Humanities
The Story of Books
Greek Mythology Stories
Upper Elementary (Grades 5–6)
● Literature
My Memories of Old Beijing
The Grass House
Charlotte’s Web
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Neverending Story
● Science
Ye Yonglie’s 100 Scientists’ Stories
Insect Lore
Journey to the Center of the Earth
● Humanities
The Story of Confucius
Stories About Children’s Music and Art
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