At the beginning of 2026, the whole of Croatia joined the national reading challenge for children called “15 by 15”. The challenge was launched as part of the National Program for Encouraging Reading “Born to Read” which is implemented by the Ministry of Culture and Media of the Republic of Croatia. The aim of the initiative was to encourage reading from an early age and to remind parents and guardians about importance of daily reading together.
Conducted as part of the project during 2025, survey on the reading habits of parents and guardians of children up to seven years old, showed that half of parents mentioned lack of time as the main reason for not reading more often to their children. That is why the “15 by 15” challenge was launched, with the message that even just fifteen minutes of reading a day can have a positive effect on children’s development and reading habits.
The Fran Galović Koprivnica Public Library also joined the challenge with programs in the Library itself and in the Bibliobus. Beside the storytimes, there was also an exhibition in the exhibition space, donation of picture books from the Children’s Department and lending and recommending picture books on a daily basis.
During the challenge, fifteen-minute storytimes were held in the Children’s Department, in which librarians read to children. 27 children and 23 parents participated in these meetings. Two Storytimes for preschoolers were also held, in which stories were read by guests from the City of Koprivnica, Ksenija Ostriž and Petra Rožmarić, with the participation of 22 children and 15 parents. A Storytime for babies and young children was also organized, in which stories were read aloud by parents, and the program was attended by 23 children and 26 parents. We also hosted children in the Library, the “Iskrice” group from the “Tratinčica” kindergarten and we also held a storytime in the “Medenjak” kindergarten. In total, 82 children and 38 parents participated in the 15 days of reading in the Koprivnica library. In addition to program activities, the Library donated picture books from regular subscriptions to children and parents, and a total of 1,584 picture books were borrowed during the challenge, which represents a 33 percent increase compared to the number of picture book loans in December. As part of the field trip, the mobile library librarians held six Storytimes with creative activities during the challenge, in which a total of 108 users participated. They also provided support to parents and kindergarten staff in participating in the challenge and selecting stories and picture books.
Koprivnica librarians are pleased that topics such as reading and picture books were at the center of interest of children and parents for longer than the planned 15 days. The challenge connected the entire community and demonstrated the power of joint action. Although libraries work daily to encourage reading, this initiative once again confirmed that with joint efforts, reading can become the most beautiful part of every child’s day and a habit that continues to be nurtured in families.
Text by Danijela Petrić i Valentina Mikec
Photos available at the Flickr link: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCJyGJ
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