Maila Halom! Down in Talo'fo'fo's Community Center, a special reading experience awaits village children.

From Jeff’s Pirates Cove to Yokoi’s Cave, San Miguel Catholic Church and much more, the story begins even before you walk in.

Talo'fo'fo Mayor’s Office Special Projects Coordinator Andrea Cruz says their bookshelves are all built from recycled goods, which fits right in with the village's center efforts on sustainability.

“We did not spend a dime on any of the decorations you see here. everything is recycled and Denny from i-Recycle Guam donated all the styrofoam," she told KUAM News. "And the mayor has partnerships with different organizations. From the tilapia farm outside to everything. It tells a story from the beginning all the way to the end.”

It's a project that started with the University of Guam Press’s village bookshelf competition.

UOG Press Grant Project Manager Kiana Brown says the contest is about fostering cultural literacy and encouraging children to read.

“The village bookshelf competition is an initiative that’s part of our youth empowerment grant at UOG Press. So really what it is is an initiative to set up a collection of local literature throughout the island in every village so residents of the village can have access to books they may not have had access to before,” she tells KUAM.

Each mayors’ office gets a set of local literature with the task to make the best village bookshelf. UOG Press Distribution Manager Pedro Blas says the bookshelves will be judged on March 31. First prize is $500, second is $200 and third is $150.

“The judging criteria is on whether or not they follow the criteria as far as cultural representation, village presentation, how accessible it is to the community and how engaged the community is with their families and the books,” he adds.

The Talo'fo'fo Mayor’s Office sets that bar high. Cruz gives KUAM a tour of the community center, explaining the decorations down to the details.

“We turned Yokoi’s cave into a bookshelf. Yokoi we all know was hiding for a very long time. We wanted to depict his cave where he stayed in for many many years until they finally got him. The story is up here and that’s from Surf’s Guam assistance. They’ve helped us label all the stuff.”

The Yokoi’s cave turned reading nook outfitted with not just books but decorated with signature Talo’fo’fo floral and fauna and even a fog machine for a mysterious vibe.

“We have had families come in, excited about it. We are excited about it. And this was his idea, to bring in a learning center. This whole project just kicked it off,” Cruz adds.

Village mayor Vicente Taitague invites families to come on down to the community center.

“Come over! Parents, encourage your kids to come over and educate them about our culture," he said. "Hopefully we can retain our culture.”