World First - Dame Wendy Pye's Early Childhood Readers Translated Into Micronesian Languages Supported By ADB

October 29 2024

For the first time, ninety of Sunshine Books’ early readers have been translated into five Micronesian languages and will be supplied to schools throughout the Federated States of Micronesia in an arrangement between the FSM Department of Education and leading international New Zealand based early learning publisher, Wendy Pye Publishing Ltd (Sunshine Books), and major supplier to the Pacific region, Read Pacific Ltd.

This latest contract provides for the translation of the ninety books into Chuukese, Kosraean, Pohnpeian, Ulithian and Yapese, with the editions also containing the original English text. In addition, those ninety titles plus another thirty at a higher level are being printed in English.

This print run was provided by the Improving the Quality of Basic Education Project (IQBE) supported by the Asian Development Bank and the Australian Government, and funded by the Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and by the Asian Development Bank.

Dame Wendy Pye said that the contract is important as it will give children throughout the region the opportunity to read quality Sunshine books written by leading authors such as Joy Cowley, in their own language as well as in English. The team at Sunshine headquarters in Auckland have been working with the various Ministries throughout the four island states, to achieve this first for the children of a region of over 600 islands.

Read Pacific has been operating for thirty-three years in Pacific Island countries working with Ministries of Education, Curriculum Development Units and schools supplying relevant resources to improve educational outcomes for Pacific Island students. Translations and adaptations of New Zealand resources are now an integral part of their business, and they are excited to work with Sunshine Books on literacy projects which ensure donors are gaining maximum results from their support of Pacific Education.

This is another example of how Sunshine Books is helping to teach the world to read. Sunshine also supplies over 700 New Zealand primary schools with materials for their structured literacy approach to teaching

New Zealand’s Minster of Foreign Affairs, Winston Peters, recently visited FSM in the Western Pacific, taking another step in furthering a meaningful relationship with New Zealand’s Pacific neighbours.

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