What happens when a child who previously almost never touched a storybook can now recall detailed facts about the life of dinosaurs as if from a documentary?

This story comes from Salman, a third-grade student at SDN 76 Buton, who now can’t get enough of the dinosaur book collection in his school library. Before the library at his school was organized, he usually only read school textbooks that he brought home. Storybooks or illustrated books that could spark a child’s imagination were almost nonexistent in his daily life. “I didn’t have illustrated storybooks at home before, so I would just read school textbooks,” Salman said shyly.

Salman was enjoying reading his favorite book in his school library

His mother, Srimuliyanti, confirmed this. She shared that before the school had a library, Salman had no habit of reading at home, let alone children’s storybooks. Access to fun reading materials was very limited.

But a big change happened when SDN 76 Buton received support from Givaudan and Taman Bacaan Pelangi (TBP) to build a child-friendly library at the school. The library not only provided shelves, tables, and comfortable carpets, but also a collection of illustrated books, children’s stories, and popular nonfiction series—including books about dinosaurs, which quickly became Salman’s favorite.

Since the library was established, Salman has been actively borrowing books every week. He is deeply interested in the world of dinosaurs. Titles like T-Rex, the Strongest Predator became his favorites. He reads them at home on his own, with great enthusiasm and curiosity.

Salman and his friends are reading together in the library

Now, his mother often sees him absorbed in a book. “Salman really enjoys reading dinosaur books now. He even knows that the T-Rex used to live in North America and could weigh up to seven tons,” Srimuliyanti said with a proud smile.

Reading is no longer a foreign activity for Salman. The school library has opened a new world for him—a world full of imagination, knowledge, and curiosity. From a boy who never read storybooks, he has grown into a child eager for information, proud of what he has learned from turning page after page.