How the author of ‘If You Give a Mouse a Cookie’ hopes to help inspire a new generation of authors

Laura Numeroff's love for books began very early in life. That love, fostered by a childhood in which she was surrounded by books and art, led to a long and successful career writing children's books, including such beloved works as "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" and "If You Give a Pig a Pancake."

So, when Numeroff met students from Biwi school — with 1,000 students enrolled — in Lilongwe, Malawi, during a Zoom call from her house in Los Angeles, she was moved to hear that they didn't have books for their classrooms, let alone for each individual child. One of the children, 12-year-old Deborah Malusa, made a particular impression on her.

The call was organized by Village Book Builders, a U.S. nonprofit that works to build libraries in underfunded or impoverished countries and communities.

After that call, Numeroff decided to fund the construction of a brand-new library for the Biwi school.

In October, seven months after that Zoom call, Numeroff hopped on a flight to celebrate the library's grand opening. In a welcoming ceremony, Malusa gave a speech that moved Numeroff to tears.

Numeroff says that, typically, when young people ask how they too can become successful authors, she gives the same answer: "Keep reading, keep reading lots of books." But of course, that approach doesn't work for children who can't get books at all.

"It broke my heart to know that these fantastic kids don't have the same access to books that I was lucky enough to experience when I was their age," she said.

Numeroff hopes that the new library can help Malusa and her classmates achieve their dreams.

Malusa and her classmates told her they weren't even aware that there were people who wrote stories for a living. In Malusa's world, children dream of becoming doctors, nurses or soldiers; there are few other possibilities for successful careers.

Numeroff says that she believes that one day in the not too distant future, it may be Malusa — or one of her peers — reading a book that she wrote to a group of children that inspires further positive change in the world.