Who are Diego Dish and Carlotta Spoon? They are characters in a new
story book that has some high hopes pinned to it. The developers don’t
only want the book to appeal to children; they want it to be so compelling,
so magnetic that children will put down that remote control or video game console
and re-discover reading. Its part of a larger plan and Jacqueline Godwin found
out more today.
Jacqueline Godwin Reporting,
When TV was first introduced in Belize in 1981 it is fair to say that this medium
has had a negative effect on early childhood learning. For example, boys and
girls are more interested in watching cartoons and other programs on the television
than picking up a book to read, much less tell a story. So what can be done
to spark children’s interest in reading and storytelling, well one such
plan was unveiled.
The new story and activity book for children is called Diego Dish and Carlotta
Spoon, an illustration by Anna Lee Davis. The culturally approach to the creation
is just the ingredient believed will attract not only its young readers but
get their parents involved.
According to Judith Alpuche, the CEO in the Ministry of Human Development,
another important feature is that unlike what children on television, the story
is set in Belize.”
Judith Alpuche, CEO - Ministry of Human Development
“It is culturally sensitive, it promotes the Mestizo culture, the 
Maya culture, the Garifuna culture in particular, that children will be able
to relate better, that if parents are using this as a tool they will pull the
child’s interest away from the television because nothing, what better
than to have one on one face time with your parent. I think that for, especially
small children, because that is who we are targeting to start those good habits
early, that is far more attractive to a young child than the television, if
you have face time with mommy and daddy.”
The story book is a product of the Caribbean Child Support Initiative, CCSI
and is as a direct result of a two year pilot project coordinated by the National
Committee for Families and Children: the Storytelling for Early Childhood and
Parenting Support, STEPS.
Judith Alpuche,
“And it was something that we did in collaboration with the Pre-School
Unit and with NICH. So this particular story came out of a workshop that was
done with parents in San Lazaro Village and so the draft or the raw material
was taken and shaped and molded. We benefited from technical expertise in the
Caribbean.”
The original story book is written in English and French Creole. There is an
audio version on CD where children and their parents will be guided by translations
in Garifuna, Spanish, Ketchi and Mopan.
Judith Alpuche,
“The story book is just one tool in an arsenal that we are building
to be able to promote early childhood stimulation and early childhood development.”
Susan Branker Lasaley, Program Director – Caribbean Child Support
“We hope that this would bring back Belizeans and Caribbean people
to the recognition that we have such an enormous oral tradition, that we are
very good at telling and writing stories and this is the product of our Caribbean
people and Belizean people, a story written by Belizeans for the Caribbean.
So we are hoping that we will appeal and certainly excite persons to want to
write stories and tell stories more in the region.”
Jacqueline Godwin,
“Is this book primarily for Belizean children or is it already being used
throughout the Caribbean?”
Susan Branker Lasaley,
“It is now officially launched, it is not only for Belizean children
but certainly we would want to target here in the first instance but we plan
to disseminate it across the region. I believe we’ve printed in excess
of a 1,000 copies of the book and we will be donating them to partners.”
At the launch copies of the story book Diego Dish and Carlotta Spoon were also
given to educators of early learning institutions and departments. Reporting
for 7News Jacqueline Godwin.
The book’s publication comes one year after the launch of a “roving
caregivers programme,” by the Department of Human Development and is being
implemented in the Mayan villages of San Miguel and San Jose in the Toledo District.
The RCP, as it is called, is an informal early childhood education programme
that targets children from birth to three years of age who do not have access
to any formal early childhood education.
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