MILWAUKEE — Students at Dr. George Washington Carver Academy of Mathematics and Science in Milwaukee experienced something special recently when a traditional school book fair became a celebration of free reading, thanks to a partnership between TMJ4, the Scripps Howard Fund, Milwaukee Public Schools and Scholastic's "If You Give a Child a Book" campaign.
Each student was able to choose five free books of their own, removing the financial barrier that often comes with book fairs and giving children the freedom to select books they truly wanted to read.
"For them to have the chance to come in and literally pick whatever five books they want from the current up-to-date books that they're raving over in class is awesome for them," said Hayley Awe, a kindergarten teacher at Carver Academy.
The impact was immediate and visible. Student Lamar Allen described the experience as feeling "like a dream" and said it felt "amazing."
Awe emphasized the importance of students having books at home, noting how meaningful it is to see children build their own personal libraries.
"I'm happy for them. It's great that they are given that chance to just have books at home," Awe said.
Parent volunteer Cheynile Johnson believes the initiative levels the playing field for students by providing access to books they're genuinely interested in reading.
"I think it's going to be beneficial for a lot of the kids, allowing them to have access to things that they're interested in," Johnson said.
Johnson also noted how refreshing it was to see children excited about physical books in an increasingly digital world.
"I noticed a lot of kids aren't reading anymore. Everybody's on tablets and on laptops, so this has been refreshing to see them actually excited to see books," Johnson said.
The "If You Give a Child a Book" campaign has distributed more than one million books nationwide, working toward the goal of ensuring every child has the opportunity to develop a love of reading.
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