Cultivating a love of reading

Julieann Barr is on a mission. Every December, she makes certain her students have at least one book at home they enjoy, while also safeguarding the school’s well-stocked library.

“Before we started this program, we had 70 or 80 kids come back from Christmas break without their books,” said Barr, library associate at Clarke Community Elementary School.

Elementary students are no longer allowed to check out books the week before winter vacation. Between visiting relatives and receiving books and other presents for the holidays, it’s too easy for students to misplace items they’ve checked out.

“Unless they pay for the book or return the book, they don’t get to check out a book for the rest of the school year,” Barr said.

That’s not a risk every family can take. According to First Book, a nonprofit invested in bringing books to the country’s poorest communities, 42 percent of children live in homes where their basic needs for food, clothing and shelter aren’t being met. In those homes, books are a luxury.

“I always gave my kids books for Christmas,” Barr said, “but so many kids don’t get books because the needs are underwear, socks, a coat.”

Simply having access to books and other reading materials plays a significant role in developing literacy skills. Children from low-income homes without the funds to invest in the types of books children most like to read start out at a disadvantage. That’s why Clarke Elementary’s Christmas book giveaway makes an impact with kids and families.

“I try to collect close to a 1,000 books, because we have over 800 kids,” Barr said. “I want them to have a choice.”

When students check out books from the library, they’re steered toward options at their current reading levels. There aren’t any rules for those taking part in the giveaway. Children may select books beyond their comprehension levels or those for younger readers – and many do, in order to have something to share with a sibling.

“We can promote the joy of reading, not the chore,” Barr said. “For many students, this is the No. 1 thing they really start looking forward to around Thanksgiving, even Halloween.”

“Any time we can give a child a book, it encourages reading,” said Clarke Community Elementary Principal Jill Kiger.

According to Kiger, children get excited for the program especially because they get to keep the books they’re taking home. She also commended Barr for making sure the available books do a good job of matching the children’s interests.

While Barr collects books throughout the year, organizations pitch in as the giveaway gets near. After reading about the program in the paper, Diane Ogbourne, vice president of Clarke County State Bank, decided to get involved.

“Our staff is so generous, I thought it was something they might be interested in doing,” Ogbourne said.

The suggestion was met with enthusiasm. Bank employees recently donated 211 books they’d collected for the program, and CROSS Ministries donated 200 books to the program earlier in the year.

The fourth-annual Christmas book giveaway will last from Friday, Dec. 16, to Friday, Dec. 23. Students who miss school due to illness or holiday travel will get the opportunity to choose their free books at a later date. Leftover titles get donated back to CROSS Ministries, where families can access affordable options for children’s literature.