The bookpack project: the wellness benefits of reading

Vitalité Health Network – Tuesday, January 23, 2024 – Public Health professionals and the Northwest Resilience Action Committee have teamed up with New Brunswick’s public libraries to develop the bookpack project..

Front row, from left to right: Marcelle Bouchard, assistant, Mgr. W.J. Conway Public Library; Debbie Smyth Ringuette, member of the Resilience Action Committee; Patrick Provencher, Regional Director of Haut-Saint-Jean Library Region; and Martine Michaud, member of the Resilience Action Committee. Second row, from left to right: Édith Routhier, librarian, Haut-Saint-Jean Library Region; Sarah Dereumetz, Director of Mgr. W.J. Conway Public Library; Tina Ouellette-Plourde, member of the Resilience Action Committee; Mélanie Cyr, member of the Resilience Action Committee; Mélanie Moreau, member of the Resilience Action Committee; Karine Pelletier, member of the Resilience Action Committee; Véronic Boucher, dietitian; and Véronique Thibault, member of the Resilience Action Committee.

Front row, from left to right: Marcelle Bouchard, assistant, Mgr. W.J. Conway Public Library; Debbie Smyth Ringuette, member of the Resilience Action Committee; Patrick Provencher, Regional Director of Haut-Saint-Jean Library Region; and Martine Michaud, member of the Resilience Action Committee. Second row, from left to right: Édith Routhier, librarian, Haut-Saint-Jean Library Region; Sarah Dereumetz, Director of Mgr. W.J. Conway Public Library; Tina Ouellette-Plourde, member of the Resilience Action Committee; Mélanie Cyr, member of the Resilience Action Committee; Mélanie Moreau, member of the Resilience Action Committee; Karine Pelletier, member of the Resilience Action Committee; Véronic Boucher, dietitian; and Véronique Thibault, member of the Resilience Action Committee.

Bookpacks are small school bags containing three to five books on a theme fostering healthy child development. They can be borrowed by children and families at no cost using a library card.

Four themes have been developed to support families, promote learning and strengthen language skills: Emotions, Create Connections, My Body and Me, and Let's Explore Food.

These educational resources are available in the Saint-François, Edmundston, Saint-Léonard, Grand Falls, Saint-Quentin, and Kedgwick public libraries, but all New Brunswickers can reserve them using the online catalogue.

Books are available in English and French.

“Bookpacks are a great way to develop the joy of reading and communicating, as well as to create a parent-child moment or to spark conversations between children,” points out Debbie Smyth Ringuette, Public Health Nurse. “We encourage parents and early childhood educators to make the most of them.”