Do you remember the excitement of rushing home to read the next chapter in a book that you hoped would never end?

Many Lao children have no such memories, because they've never seen a book that was fun or exciting to read. Some have shared textbooks; others have never seen a book at all. We sometimes have to explain how books work: "Look, if you turn the page, there's more!"

We're Big Brother Mouse, a Lao-based, Lao-owned project. We started in 2006, publishing "books that make literacy fun!" Now we're also publishing books that provide older readers with access to the information, ideas, and pleasure people in many countries take for granted.

Until now, few books were published in the Lao Language. Many people in Lao villages never saw a book. Big Brother Mouse is already changing that, but we still have far to go.

We're not just a publisher. We give hands-on experience to young people as they learn new skills: writing, editing, translating, computers, and organizing events. We're also experimenting with ways to distribute books in a country where currently, there's no good system for that.

Big Brother Mouse is based in Luang Prabang, Laos; we also have a shop in Vientiane and our books are sold in a growing number of other places. Please come visit if you're in Laos. If you're not, you can learn more from this website, and we hope you'll want to help.

Left: Children in a rural Lao village at a book party sponsored by Big Brother Mouse. These 3-hour events in rural schools are one way that we make literacy fun! Come see what happens at a book party.