MILWAUKEE, Wisc. — Deep in the heart of the Halyard Park neighborhood, students at George Washington Carver Academy spent their Monday getting a special gift: brand new books.
“It's exciting to see kids first off every morning with their smiles on their face and then when you see them in the library, able to pick five books and their grins, that's what it's about,” said Kristin Hinds, Principal, Carver Academy.
In a partnership with the Scripps Howard Fund and Scholastic Books, the “If You Give a Child a Book…” campaign held a free book fair in the school’s library, giving each child the chance to pick out five free books.
“They get to just have all the joy of a book fair, with none of the negatives of having to have money, having to ask their parents, having to have a limit on what they can choose, pricewise. Any book in the Book Fair is up for grabs,” said Peg Herald, Reading Partnerships Team, Scholastic.
To kick off the big day, TMJ4 News Today anchors Tom Durian and Symone Woolridge read “The Snowy Day” by Ezra Jack Keats to a gym full of excited kids.
Many of the students who participated in Monday’s book fair also qualify for Title I, which is a federal funding program that hopes to close the financial gap and make sure every child has fair and equal access to high-quality education.
Carver Academy principal Kristin Hinds says previous book fairs haven’t been well-attended because of the extra cost placed on families.
Hinds says this opportunity helped level the playing field.
“We have so many resources to help them with reading so this is just another opportunity that they can take home with them,” said Hinds.
Scholastic’s Peg Herald hopes the book fair inspires families to embrace the lifelong benefits of being a good reader.
“Reading to your kids, having your kids read on a daily basis, having books in your home is just so important for literacy levels and that starting them even when they're too young to even understand, it doesn't matter,” said Herald.
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