The Karen, an ethnic group from Burma and Thailand, have been subject to persecution and ethnic cleansing by the Burmese government; many lived in refugee camps before resettling in Minnesota. There are approximately 6,500 Karen living in Minnesota, and Saint Paul has the largest and fastest-growing Karen population in the U.S. The library has a robust world language storytime program and offers workforce-readiness classes for Karen-speaking adults, but the lack of materials in the Karen language remains a challenge. In particular, the scarcity of books for children threatens the development, kindergarten readiness, and school success of Karen children.

The library commissioned texts from two authors from Saint Paul’s Karen community and contracted artists for professional illustration. 2500 copies were printed of each title. The project was supported by the Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library and Sandra Schloff. The mayor distributed the first copies of the books at Karen Storytime; additional copies were given to families at Karen New Year and Karen Family Day celebrations. The remainder of the print run was added to the SPPL collection or given to libraries and community organizations. An ebook version is available through Ebooks Minnesota and Minnesota Digital Library.

These books begin to address the significant gaps in the availability of library materials in the Karen language. We hope they will spur additional projects and materials in this language and in other languages spoken in new immigrant communities in Minnesota. Navigating the process of publication — a first for a public library in Minnesota — has built capacity for future projects. The publication of these materials also highlights and raises the visibility of the Karen community in Minnesota and demonstrates that the love of reading and story crosses cultures.