Buk bilong Pikinini kicks off an action-packed Book Week celebration with exciting new reader launches.
Buk bilong Pikinini (BbP) is thrilled to launch its 2025 Book Week celebrations from Monday 11th to Friday 15th August, under the theme:
“My Future Career – When I Grow Up I Want to Be a…”
This year’s program will feature the launch of five new titles in BbP’s When I Grow Up reader series, featuring 5-year old BbP students dressed up as mini professionals, each designed to ignite the dreams of Papua New Guinean children and show them the pathways to a wide variety of careers.
The new reader titles to be launched this week include:
When I Grow Up I Want to Be a Chef – featuring Chef Julz and The Locker Room
When I Grow Up I Want to Be a Police Officer – featuring the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary
When I Grow Up I Want to Be a Project Manager – featuring Hebou Constructions
When I Grow Up I Want to Be a Production Manager – featuring Monier Ltd
When I Grow Up I Want to Be a Mechanic – featuring Ela Motors
The readers have come together thanks to amazing team work by BbP’s donor partners who have provided role models and mini uniforms for the children – this year’s role models include Chef Julian Henao, Chief Inspector Sylvia Reu, Project Manager RuthDee Guma of Hebou Constructions, Production Manager Peter Auru of Monier Ltd and mechanic Glen Koyou and John Parau of Ela Motors. Compiling and editing has been done in-house by the BbP team and external editing has been provided by Maryann Ballentyne of Wild Dog books, who has travelled to PNG to be of part of this year’s Book Week celebrations. Printing and shipping costs have been generously sponsored by the Sir Brian Bell Foundation (SBBF).
Monday 11 August Launch:
The first launch of the week features the reader When I Grow Up I Want to Be a Chef, spotlighting Chef Julian Henao (aka Chef Julz) of the The Locker Room Café & Bar, alongside mini chef and former BbP student Billy Garu Kuri from Tatana village.
Billy, along with 20 other students from BbP’s UPNG Library Learning Centre, spent the morning in The Locker Room kitchen role-playing mini chefs. Under Chef Julz’s and his team’s guidance, they learned to prepare yummy, healthy dishes and gained hands-on experience in the dynamic, demanding, and rewarding world of professional cooking.
Chef Julian Henao, of The Locker Room Café & Bar, said “We had an awesome morning today with BbP to launch When I Grow up I want to be a Chef reader where students role played mini chefs and helped out in the kitchen to make yummy frittatas with fresh local produce and learned about the importance of nutrition education and what important nutrients, vitamins and minerals they get from foods and what it does for their bodies. I am pleased and applaud the work that BbP is doing and the synergies that we share.”
Ms Anne-Sophie Hermann, Founder and Vice Chair of Buk bilong Pikinini, who has edited and complied all BbP’s books said: “We are so pleased to be launching the “When I Grow up I want to be a Chef” with the amazing Chef Julz. BbP launched a Nutrition Education Program last year which has a focus on the importance of traditional PNG foods. We very much appreciate the opportunity to be working with Chef Julz to create some healthy and affordable recipes to ensure the children get enough nutrients and protein for breakfast and lunch to power their growth and learning.”
Inspiring the next generation
The When I Grow Up reader series is developed to help children dream big from a young age and understand that staying focused in school can open doors to these exciting careers.
Throughout Book Week, all BbP centres across Papua New Guinea will explore various future professions with lively, role play-based activities and fun-filled excursions to inspire students to imagine themselves in these careers.
BbP is also grateful for the vehicle support of Budget Rent-A-Car and Black Swan International, whose assistance allows our students and staff to participate in Book Week events and student excursions across the week.
Copies of the When I Grow Up readers can be purchased via Theodist, City Pharmacy, SVS Mart, PNG Office Works, or by visiting the BbP website: www.bukbilongpikinini.org.
