Even in an office with many exceptional young people, Sonesoulilat Vongsoulin (nicknamed "Ai" or "Sone", which is pronounced Sawn) stands out. He organizes the games at our village book parties, and sometimes he's in charge of all the events at these parties.

He's improved on some existing games, and invented a few of his own, which are described in a book about games for children in rural villages, which we'll publish soon. He's written two other books, both also for publication: one about Lao fruits; and What's in the Market? which explains to visitors the unfamiliar foods and household items they might see in the market. Sone has written two songs about books and reading, which kids sing enthusiastically at our parties. And he's still only 17.

Sone was born Phabathtri Village, Luang Prabang, in 1990. His parents are both Lao, but he has one Vietnamese and one Chinese grandparent. He feels fortunate to have grown up in Luang Prabang, where he had an opportunity to begin learning English while in primary school.

For six years, Sone studied at the Children's Cultural Center after school and on weekends. There, he learned about leading activities for children, writing stories, and story-telling. He was involved with a group at C.C.C. that produced a television program about drug abuse, and he wrote some of the material for that program. From that experience, Sone developed an interest in reading and writing. He joined the Big Brother Mouse staff in 2006, soon after we opened.

After putting in full days at Big Brother Mouse, Sone heads for the university to study International Business in the evening. Having started university when he was just 16, Sone is used to people being surprised to find out how young he is. He hopes his studies will lead to a job in which he can consult with people of different nationalities – we hope to keep him so challenged that he'll stay right here at Big Brother Mouse!