The Books from Friends (BFF) Team returned to school this September with another interactive book festival, featuring a storybook character parade, puppet shows, classroom readers, and book giveaways.
BFF volunteers from Assistance League of St. Louis went to Wilkinson Early Childhood Center, in the St. Louis public school system, on Sept. 12. They gave 900 books to 275 students. The children select books that interest them, with the help of committee members.
There were 18 volunteers dressed in costumes from favorite books. One volunteer wore an inflatable T-Rex costume. “When she blew it up, it was gigantic, and the kids loved it,” said Sue Long, BFF co-chair. The character is from the book We Don’t Eat our Classmates.
They paraded around the school twice, up and down the stairs, while the kids sat in the hallways. They were led by the janitor, wearing a top hat and waving a wand, like a drum major. The characters chatted with the students and gave them high fives. “The kids get so excited and warm our hearts,” Long said.
David Cole, a local guest author who wrote The Case of the Missing Turtle, read to the second-grade students, and volunteers read stories to the others. Someone dressed like Pete the Cat, for example, read a Pete the Cat book.
This was the first BFF festival for the new school year, and volunteers were at the school for about three hours. There are usually six or seven festivals a year and the next one is planned for Oct. 10.
“We are sparking their love of reading and building home libraries for these kids,” Long said. “They are thrilled that they get to take their books home and don’t have to return them.”
There also were two back-to-school events in August, before school started, with 3,500 books distributed at an Urban League Community Festival and 2,300 books given away at a St. Louis Public School Block Party.
At the Urban League event, volunteers gave the custom ALSTL book, Ruby Finds a Worry, for families impacted by the recent tornado. Congressman Wesley Bell stopped by to thank volunteers for the positive impact they are having on children and families.
“Research shows that having books in the home at an early age is a significant factor in children learning to read, said Dawn Thomas, VP of Community Programs for ALSTL. That’s why we work so hard to put books in the hands of young readers at back-to-school events and in a variety of early childhood settings throughout the year.”
