THE “COMOARA LUI HARAP-ALB” BOOK CARAVAN
Harap-Alb goes to school.
Education · Reading · A Susțin project · 2024–2025
We took Mihai Mănescu's novel to schools with limited access to reading resources and created occasions for children to talk with the author. Books to discover, questions to ask and an adventure that can continue after the meeting.
The caravan, in 2025
1,000
pupils reached
3 counties
Olt, Dâmbovița and Ilfov
Free access
to the book and the caravan's activities
Results reported by Susțin in the 2025 Annual Report, page 8.
First, the book has to reach the child.
To discover that you enjoy reading, you need a book within reach and the chance to step into the story. The “Comoara lui Harap-Alb” caravan was built for schools where reading resources are harder to come by.
Through book donations and meetings with Mihai Mănescu, we brought contemporary children's literature into the classroom. The novel became the starting point for conversations about characters, adventure and how a story is built.
The author brings the story. The children bring the questions.
A meeting with a writer makes room for questions that do not always fit into a reading worksheet: where does an idea come from, how do you choose a character, why does he make a certain decision?
In the caravan, access to the novel came with a dialogue with its author. We want reading to leave room for children's curiosity and opinions, and the meeting to give them reasons to return to the book.
What the caravan brings
Access to the book
The novel reaches pupils in the communities included in the project, free of charge.
Meetings with the author
Mihai Mănescu talks with pupils about the story, the characters and writing.
Reading and understanding
The discussions invite children to follow the events, explain the characters' choices and put their own ideas into words.
A Harap-Alb for today's readers.
In the novel “Comoara lui Harap-Alb”, the hero inspired by Ion Creangă's tale arrives in contemporary Bucharest. Sebastian and his friends join him on an adventure that starts with a mysterious letter.
Written by Mihai Mănescu, illustrated by Bianca Bratu and published by Humanitas Junior in 2024, the book is recommended by the publisher for readers aged 10 and over.
The novel received the “Children's literature book of the year” distinction at the 2025 edition of the Cărturino Awards.
Who made the meeting possible
Asociația Susțin.org
Organising the caravan and its educational component.
Mihai Mănescu
The novel's author and the children's interlocutor at the meetings.
The participating schools
Hosts of the activities and the link to the pupils.
Humanitas Junior
The novel's publisher. Illustrations: Bianca Bratu.
One story with several roads.
The book, the meetings with the author and the film adaptation offer different ways into the same universe. In the caravan, the meeting point is reading.
On Susțin you can also discover the “Comoara lui Harap-Alb” film project, as well as MiniPovești, the platform with free stories to read and listen to.
PROPOSAL FOR A FUTURE EDITION
After the visit, the story can continue.
A natural continuation would be a small reading club in each school: a few meetings led by the teacher, questions drawn from the book and answers created by the children through writing, drawing or discussion.
We could add a simple worksheet for teachers and an online meeting with the author after the reading. For a future edition, partners could contribute books, transport or support for the activities in schools.
The calendar, the schools and the partnerships of a new edition are still to be set.
Would you like us to take the story to a new school?
If you are a teacher, represent a school or want to contribute to a future edition of the caravan, write to us. Tell us where the books could go and what you would like us to build together.
Let's talkHOW THIS LINKS TO OUR IMPACT AREAS
The books and the meetings with the author reach schools with limited access to reading resources, alongside teachers, the publisher and each edition's partners.