Creating Bookworms In Our Community

" It is not enough to simply teach children to read; we have to give them something worth reading. Something that will stretch their imaginations-Something that will help them make sense of their own lives and encourage them to reach out toward people whose lives are quite different from their own."
--Katherine Patterson

Our mission was to walk around neighborhoods and give children the opportunity to select a brand new book to read and enjoy this summer. The books were purchased with Scholastic Bonus Points and dollars at the end of the year. Randi Stallard from Teach It With Class , Jaimee Weeks, 4th grade teacher and I hoped to inspire children to take a minute to read this summer. We had two wagons: one for chapter books and one for picture books. As we approached the children, we gave them quick book talks to help them find the perfect book.

We had a truly amazing day. We were able to touch close to 30 children. The children were excited to see friendly faces from their school. We found that visiting our local park had the most opportunities to meet with children. The young readers often struggled between which books to get. Some got more than one and others were excited when younger siblings selected one of their favorites.
Nell Duke says, " Our celebration of reading must involve the ongoing mission to give all children the opportunity to read and become lifelong readers." In order to read, you must have a book that engages you. My passion is getting books in children's homes that can create that curious reader. What ways do you get books in your home or student's home? Please share! Together we can create a world of bookworms!