Inaugural Talk

Our opening talk focused on the central idea of “Libraries and Community.” For this reason, the school invited Teolinda Higueras, a cultural manager from Chiloé.

She introduced the pupils to her library and cultural project, Bibliolancha. For 30 years, Teolinda has travelled across the islands of the Quemchi commune in a floating library, bringing reading and culture to the most remote areas. On each journey, children and adults receive high-quality books alongside cultural activities that allow them to discover new worlds and strengthen their sense of community. The generosity with which Teolinda launched this pioneering project invites us to reflect on what each of us can contribute to our own communities – whether at school, in our neighborhoods, our city, or our country.

Author and Illustrator Visits

• Tomás and Dante Vergara: This father-and-son duo has developed a strong bond with nature through years of excursions and research, reflected in their book Bichología. Their visit was an invitation for 3° básico pupils to share outdoor life with their families and commit to caring for our natural environment and the species that inhabit it.
• María José Arce (OG): Presented her professional career as an illustrator to 4° Básico pupils, focusing on her book Sueño Animal. This work explores the unique sleeping habits of different species through informative text accompanied by María José’s beautiful illustrations.
• Loreto Salinas: A prominent illustrator of non-fiction books, Loreto showed 5° Básico pupils how her interest in Chile’s native species led her to study and advocate for them. She has achieved this through the creation of stunning illustrated books where local fauna takes centre stage.
• Lorena Rodríguez: As a writer, librarian, and storyteller, Lorena showed 6° Básico pupils the process of writing a mystery novel. Her stories feature children and teenagers as protagonists who use their courage and intelligence to solve inexplicable situations in their lives.

In all these sessions, pupils asked insightful questions that reflected their interest in both the craft of bookmaking and the specific topics presented by each author and illustrator.

Short Talks and Workshops

This year featured a diverse range of short talks and workshops led by professionals dedicated to literary creation, illustration, and design. By sharing their personal experiences, they showed students their professional paths and the milestones they have reached. They also invited the students to engage in recreational and exploratory artistic activities.

We were joined by Paz Morales (OG), Michelle Koryzma (OG), May Ling, and Florencia Ana, who talked with the children, listened to their comments, and answered their questions with great enthusiasm and generosity.

These visits gave pupils the chance to hear from professionals involved in creating books and stories.

Friday Celebrations

Congratulations to all of the staff and pupils who dressed up as a character from a book. There were squeals of excitement as we entered the School and a lot of impromptu role-playing when characters crossed paths in the quads. Never before in our School has there been a “fight” between two dinosaurs, cheered on by fairytale creatures, only to be interrupted by an adult-sized Lorax!

Then, to wrap up the week, we gathered once more in the Balfour Quad. We were able to celebrate costumes, as well as engage in a quiz about the library and reading for House Points.

3° and 4° Básico were also treated to a dynamic storytelling with music, puppets and acting from the classic Aesop fable of the city and the country mouse in the Green Quad.

Thank you to the whole Upper Prep community for getting into the spirit of Book Week. It was a spectacular way to end the first part of the 2026 Academic Year.