Antonio La Cava, a retired Italian schoolteacher, decided that after 42 years of teaching, he could do even more to spread the love of reading to children. So in 2003, he bought a used Ape motorbike and modified it to create a portable library that houses 700 books. He’s been traveling in the “Bibliomotocarro” ever since.
Each week, he travels to the villages of Italy’s southern Basilicata region, the sound of an organ announcing the Bibliomotocarro’s arrival. When they hear the song, children flock to the mobile library with an enthusiasm usually reserved for the appearance of an ice cream truck. La Cava’s 8-stop route takes him over 500 kilometers each trip, which he does entirely for free.
In an interview last year, La Cava explained that his experience in the school system left him feeling there was a better way to teach children to love books, saying, “A disinterest in reading often starts in schools where the technique is taught, but it’s not being accompanied by love. Reading should be a pleasure, not a duty.”
+ Il Bibliomotocarro
Via Unconsumption
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