Let’s Read

connect | create | read | thrive

To develop a love of reading, children need books in their own language with characters, themes, and settings that reflect their lives. Let’s Read is an initiative that draws on The Asia Foundation’s deep expertise and networks in communities across Asia to cultivate the skills of local authors and illustrators while building Asia’s only free digital library for children. It is the successor to our long-running Books for Asia program.

Lets Read Digital Library

We are dismantling barriers to literacy by uniting local talent with technology in an unprecedented, locally driven digital library.

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BookLabs

Bring together authors, illustrators, and editors to produce relatable, high-quality children’s books in local languages.

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Local translators

Use the collaborative, built-in translation tool to quickly expand local language libraries to meet their needs.

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Language experts

Provide support and train volunteers to maintain the voice and pace of stories that make good children’s books so compelling across languages.

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Partners

Community organizations, educators, publishers, and universities, are working with us to build a local, sustainable solution to book scarcity.

Let’s Read books explore topics such as environmental stewardship, diversity, tolerance, gender equality, and STEM. Mobile penetration is high across Asia but access to the digital library books is available anywhere, any time: every book can be downloaded and printed for offline use.

Skill building

Let’s Read advances the professional skills and opportunities of new and experienced authors, illustrators, translators and publishers to grow thriving book markets that support children, their families and their communities.

Reading promotion

Let’s Read nurtures reading habits that enable children to reach important developmental milestones; families share stories that affirm their culture; and communities benefit from the contributions of all members.

News and highlights

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Program Snapshot

Fostering a Love for Reading in Nepal: Let’s Read Exhibitions

April 16, 2024

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