Reading is one of the greatest gifts you can give to a child. Next Door, an agency with two locations in Milwaukee, is making sure the children it serves get that gift.
Adriel Mcfarlane and his wife have a son and twin daughters who attend Next Door.
"For Adriel, one of his favorite books is 'Just Like Dad.'"
That reaches deep for dad because he had a role model too.
"It's a book that is very dear to myself and him because when I was growing up, I always wanted to be just like dad," Mcfarlane said.
It's books like "Just Like Dad" that Next Door gives to children to build their own library at home.
"It's hard for them to go for a weekend without asking if the next day is school day," laughed Mcfarlane.
His children are excited to go to a school and daycare that puts priority on reading.
"It's icing on the cake for us to be able to sit and read with them and experience that joy that it puts on their face."
And maybe Adriel Junior will grow up to be just like his dad and his granddad before him and enjoying reading to his kids.
"That's the sweetest thing at this point, for me."
Next Door, Bank Five Nine, and TMJ4 News have partnered for the If You Give a Child a Book campaign. Money donated will be used to purchase books for Next Door which will then be given to the agency's children to take home.
Visit tmj4.com/book for more information.
