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The Unbound
Bookmaker Project

The Unbound Bookmaker Project, launched in May of 2012, provides an authorship experience for children, young women, and other groups whose voices have traditionally been marginalized. Most recently, The Unbound Bookmaker collaborated with many organizations and individuals in the Marshall Islands to help children write, illustrate, and publish their own stories, in both Marshallese and English.

Our aims for this project were to promote literacy, creativity, and confidence, with the additional benefit of teaching important life skills, imparting knowledge on environmental issues, and preserving local culture. Over 260 students in the Marshall Islands have participated in creating 14 class books.

All books are available on Amazon.com. Thank you to all the donors, editors, typesetters, designers, Marshallese reviewers, WorldTeach volunteers and directors, teachers, supporters, and students for making this project possible! This was a major collaborative effort across the board.

Because we are not receiving royalties from book sales, we invite you to donate funds for another planned book from students on Ebeye. Please click here for details. Susannah Prenoveau will be directing The Unbound Bookmaker Project on Kwajalein Atoll.

To hear more about the project, you can listen to Jamie Zvirzdin, creator of The Unbound Bookmaker Project, in a live interview with ABC Radio Australia. (Click here for the interview that occurred a year earlier, at the outset of the project.)




Where Are the Marshall Islands?

Major Donors and Supporters Who Made This Project Possible


Books Created through The Unbound Bookmaker Project



The Important Book
about Majuro

by Mr. Savu's Fourth
Grade Class

Pilot Project

Sponsored by Ethel Nelson

Majuro Cooperative School, Majuro Atoll
Picture


Click on
an image to go
to the book's Amazon.com webpage.

WAM: Canoes of the Marshall Islands
by the WAM Students of 2012–2013

Sponsored by Waan Aelõñ
in Majel (WAM)

WAM, Majuro Atoll
Picture


Takki and His Boat
by 12C of Kwajalein Atoll High School

Co-sponsored by the Billfish Club/ Mieco Yacht Club

Kwaj High School,
Kwajalein Atoll

WT Vol: Sharlen Smith

Picture

On a School Day in the Marshall Islands
by the 5th and 6th Grade Students of Japo Elementary

  Sponsored by MOE

Japo, Arno Atoll

 
WT Vol: Jenna Brusca
Picture


Exercise in the
Marshall Islands
by Ms. Ceci Guillén's 7th and 8th Grade Class

  Sponsored by MOE

Arno, Arno Atoll

WT Vol: Ceci Guiller
Picture

The 3 Rs in the Republic of the Marshall Islands
by Woja Elementary School's 8th Grade Class of 2012–2013

Sponsored by Majuro Atoll Waste Company

Woja, Majuro Atoll
 
WT Vol: Lauren F
Picture


Daga and His Family
by Ms. Julia Reilly's 6th and 7th Grade English
Language Arts Class

Sponsored by MOE

Aerok, Ailinglaplap Atoll

WT Vol: Julia Reilly
Picture

From Homeless to King:
A Sharing Tale
by Ms. Julia Coleman's 7th and 8th Grade Classes

Sponsored by the
KIO Club

Tobal, Aur Atoll

WT Vol: Julia Coleman

Picture


Everyone Needs
Solar Energy
by Mr. Chuck McKeever's 7th and 8th Grade Classes

Sponsored by the Embassy of Taiwan

Aur, Aur Atoll

WT Vol: Chuck McReever
Picture

Legends from
Jaluit Atoll
by Imroj Elementary School, Grades 5–8

Sponsored by MOE

Imroj, Jaluit Atoll

  WT Vol: Jessica Robertson
Picture


The Legends of Mili
by Ms. Leslie Osborne's
7th and 8th Graders

Sponsored by MOE
 
Emejer, Mili

  WT Vol: Leslie Osborne
Picture

Animals and Creatures
in the Marshall Islands
by Boo Flynn's 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Students

Sponsored by MOE

Bikarej, Arno Atoll

WT Vol: Boo Flynn
Picture


The Magic Chalk of Rita Elementary School
by Miss Kristan Thatcher's 6B English Class

Sponsored by Grace Warren

Rita, Majuro Atoll

  WT Vol: Kristan Thatcher
Picture

Legends from Wodmej
by Elizabeth Miller's 5th and 6th Grade Class from Wodmej, Wotje

Sponsored by MOE

Wodmej, Wotje

WT Vol: Elizabeth Miller
Picture

Thank You!

Thank you for your donations and your support! No royalties are received from Amazon.com purchases because of the logistical impossibility of fairly distributing the funds to the 300+ people involved in the project; the books are therefore available at the cost of production.

Many thanks to Ethel Nelson, who bought all the supplies for our Co-op pilot project, created lesson plans, taught the first day, and got the kids pumped for the project (and for being my supporter and adviser in this project since its inception!)
.

Thanks to Daryle Newman, a dear friend and talented artist who taught the units on illustration and portraiture, and who also advised me on the project; Mr. Savu, for donating valuable class time to us and being very supportive; Kathy Stratte, for being very encouraging and willing to let us test our project at Co-op; Becky Lathrop, for teaching the illustration workshop to the WorldTeach volunteers; and the WorldTeach directors, Laura Sundblad, Todd Mulroy, and Ken Hagberg, and the WorldTeach lesson planners, Stephanie Pierce and Katie Greyerbiehl, for taking this idea and making it better.

Even More Thanks to:

  • The WorldTeach volunteers for helping the students create their class stories;
  • Gordon Benjamin for his legal advice concerning copyrights and appropriate protocol;
  • The James deBrueys Memorial Fund for its donation;
  • Payless Supermarket for donating two full bags' worth of colored pencils, sharpeners, and paper;
  • Grace Warren and her family and friends for donating enough to fund an entire book;
  • The Billfish Club and the Mieco Yacht Club for co-sponsoring a book on boat safety;
  • Majuro Atoll Waste Company for sponsoring a book on the three Rs: Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle;
  • KIO Club for sponsoring a book on the importance of sharing/giving;
  • Copymasters for their box of colored pencils, black pens, and pencil sharpeners, as well as their generous monetary donation;
  • Office Mart for two full boxes of paper and sets of colored pencils;
  • EZ Price for their donation of many colored pencils and a discount on the rest.



  • The Embassy of Taiwan for sponsoring a book on solar power;
  • U.S. Ambassador to the Marshall Islands Tom Armbruster for supporting the project.
  • General Pat O'Reilly and his team on Kwajalein for taking an interest in how the books can be used by volunteers at the U.S. military base to help Marshallese children.
  • The RMI Ministry of Education for funding the majority of the project.
  • Lauren Pallotta for donating part of the proceeds of her art prints;
  • Majuro Computer Services for their donation.
  • All donors who gave online via the WorldTeach website before it was closed. Thank you for your generosity!

Education is a community effort!

Picture
Picture
Display of extra short stories from Co-op fourth graders.


Short Stories from the RMI

Children have valuable ideas and insights that are often overlooked. As we were finishing up The Important Book about Majuro with Mr. Savu's 2011–2012 class, we had some extra time to spend on short stories.

The result was fantastic and fascinating.

No direction was given on what they should write. Click below to read their creations.


Co-op Short Stories
1      2      3

© 2013 Jamie Zvirzdin/The Unbound Bookmaker. All Rights Reserved.
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