The compass found his friend, the map, distressed.
"Help me, I have no countries to fill my space!" said the map.
"I'm sorry," replied the compass. "This void cannot be filled. All the countries have already been sold."
Alfredo Mires
in: The Goblin of the Labyrinth
Hello, everyone!
I want to tell you that, as part of the activities planned for the anniversary of our school, Generalísimo Don José de San Martín, in San Martín de Porres, province and district of Jaén, we celebrated our 5th Reading Festival, an event where the joy of sharing dreams, smiles, and imagination took centre stage.
With our teacher Gabriela, my classmates and I worked diligently, preparing every detail. We transformed the reading club into a magical space, full of colour and life, with decorations we made ourselves.
Today we confirm that reading not only opens doors to knowledge, but also strengthens friendship and the spirit of our community.
"Because kneading bread and writing a story are very similar things.
Because sharing bread with everyone and reading a story aloud are the oldest customs of love."
Liliana Bodoc
As a reading mediator, every learning experience enriches my work and my connection with books and their readers. On Thursday, 10th July, I had the opportunity to participate in the virtual discussion "Restorative Reading," facilitated by renowned librarian Lina Pulgarín Mejía, a meeting geared towards librarians from the Network of Rural Libraries in Educational Institutions (BRIE).
It was a deeply valuable space, where Lina shared her reflections on the power of reading to live, heal, think, and converse. Her words resonated with me, especially when she recounted her experience as a reading mediator in hospitals, accompanying patients in critical condition through stories. Her work is a reminder of how books can be comfort, companionship, and a bridge to difficult emotions.
The most moving moment came when she read us the story "The Duck and Death" by Wolf Erlbruch, a tender and profound narrative that addresses death from a serene and humane perspective. This reading reinforced my conviction that stories help us understand the incomprehensible and navigate complex emotions.
I am grateful to the Cajamarca Rural Library Network for organising these spaces for training and dialogue, which nourish our work as reading mediators in rural and community libraries. I will continue to bring these lessons to my work, convinced that books not only inform, but also repair, accompany and transform.
Haydee Limascca Mejía, BA
On Friday, 10th July, we met with the teachers at I.E. Segundo Briones to share some great news:
We are now part of the Rural Libraries in Educational Institutions Network - BRIE Cajamarca!
Thanks to this initiative, the school has received a valuable collection of books that will be used by teachers in classroom libraries, strengthening reading skills among our children.
As a professional, I am filled with joy and commitment to be part of this beautiful project that strengthens reading and the bond with our rural communities.
Haydee Limascca
Librarian and reading mediator in Namora.
I have always believed that gratitude is a good way to go through life. Life presents itself to us in different ways: vast, unsettling, sailing through the dawn, crossing the darkness, with joys, with sorrows, with flashes, with shadows. And we must be grateful for this time, our time on earth.
That is why we are grateful for this book, for this offering; its pages reveal its importance, the importance of giving thanks to the Earth, to our Apus and to our Ancestors, because they are part of our fabric, of our spirit.
Of the few certainties we have on our journey, one of them is the earth that breathes and nurtures. Sometimes when you get lost or forget, the only thing that welcomes you is the earth, the only comfort is that Apu who knows your journey and knows it because of the favours you give him, because he carries your breath; so too, when the questions are deep, we talk or ask our ancestors, who are always there, even if we sometimes don't feel it or forget it.
This offering sums up everything that is important in life. We are grateful that this great Network of Rural Libraries of Cajamarca has been able to share this book with us, to remind us of this joy, which is "giving thanks and offering".
Mauricio Pérez
