Maktabat al-Fanoos
® (“Lantern Library” in Arabic) launched in 2014 to encourage literacy and a love of reading among Israeli Arab children. The program gifts culturally appropriate Arabic language books to 100% of Arab children attending public Arabic preschools. Each child receives eight books during the school year to take home and keep.
Maktabat al-Fanoos empowers teachers and parents to help children develop learning and mother-tongue language skills, to create a tradition of reading stories together, to enhance children’s emotional awareness, and to celebrate the richness of Arab culture. For many families, Maktabat al-Fanoos books are the only picture books in the home.
The program was created by the
Israeli Ministry of Education in partnership with the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and California-based Price Philanthropies. It is operated by Keren Grinspoon Israel (“Grinspoon Israel Foundation” in Hebrew) which carries out the Harold Grinspoon Foundation's mission in Israel.
To learn more about the program, please visit the
Maktabat al-Fanoos website.