Australian educator and literacy advocate poppy Yayakos joins World Literacy Foundation’s global children’s library

Early childhood and primary teacher, children’s author, and literacy advocate Poppy Yayakos has joined the World Literacy Foundation’s Sun Books: Global Children’s Library as an Author Patron, expanding her commitment to literacy that already reaches families throughout her community in Darwin, Australia.

A published children’s author and World Literacy Foundation Ambassador, Poppy draws much of her inspiration from her own family, particularly her grandmother Poppy and mother Evdoxia, who helped foster her lifelong love of reading. Her children’s writing combines rhyme, engaging storytelling, and meaningful lessons designed to help young readers learn and grow.

Her participation in the Global Children’s Library has also brought her story full circle. “Seeing my book become part of the Global Children’s Library and available in other languages has been incredibly meaningful. Having my Greek-speaking grandfather and my young cousins in Greece experience my story in their own language showed me firsthand how books can connect generations, cultures, and families across the world.”

Poppy’s literacy advocacy extends well beyond her own books. As a World Literacy Foundation Ambassador, she has established pop-up libraries in laundromats, donated books to local businesses and community spaces, and collaborated with Reading Out of Poverty to establish a number of bookshelves, having mobilized community support to collect over 1000 books for donation. She also shares literacy and reading tips with schools and reaches approximately 1,000 families in her region through newsletters. Poppy has also hosted several community story times to engage families and children in reading, as well as running parent workshops to further support children’s engagement in reading.

The Sun Books: Global Children’s Library brings together the World Literacy Foundation’s international literacy mission with technology from Hello Computer, Inc. and its publishing division, StoryTime International Press. Through dynamic publishing technology, participating books can reach new audiences through multilingual digital experiences, including translation and read-aloud capabilities in up to 137 languages.

The Global Children’s Library currently has an ongoing international call for children’s authors interested in having their work considered for the initiative and joining its growing international community of Author Patrons.

Poppy Yayakos is a Darwin-based early childhood and primary teacher, published children’s author, literacy advocate, and World Literacy Foundation Ambassador. Her work reflects a lifelong love of reading and a commitment to making books and literacy experiences more accessible to children and families.

About the Global Children’s Library

The Sun Books: Global Children’s Library is an initiative of the World Literacy Foundation, created in partnership with Hello Computer, Inc. and StoryTime International Press to expand access to engaging children’s literature and help stories reach young readers across languages, cultures, and borders.