Project Literacy and Idris Elba team up with “The Little Chicken Named Pong-Pong”, a story by Wanda Steward, for International Literacy Day. Via the Huffington Post:
A mum who used to make up bedtime stories to go with the illustrations in her children’s books, because she was illiterate, has had one of her stories published, on International Literacy Day.
Wanda Steward, 47, from Philadelphia, US, didn’t want to miss out on the precious time she spent with her four children – who have now all grown up – before they went to sleep, so rather than admit defeat when faced with the text, she created stories to match pictures in the books.
Many of her stories would revolve around a made-up character ‘Pong-Pong the Brave’. She used this character to write a new tale based on the classic children’s book ‘Chicken Little’.
“Yeah, I had to make up stories,” she said. “It was the fact I just didn’t know how to read well.”
To celebrate International Literacy Day, one of Steward’s made-up stories – ‘The Little Chicken Named Pong-Pong’ – has been published and it has been read by Project Literacy ambassador, Idris Elba.
The charity commissioned illustrations to go with Steward’s narrative and helped bring ‘Pong Pong’ to life.
And now, after having lessons, Steward is no longer illiterate.