All the kids held up a book and said, “Thank you!”
“Alright, is everybody ready to get some free books?” said staff members at Foothill Oak Elementary.
This was the day thousands of children at four schools in Vista, Oceanside, and Carlsbad were taking home brand new books for free.
“We were absolutely amazed,” said Fran Tovar from Assistance League of North Coast. Fran never dreamed the nonprofit organization’s book drive would have this happy of an ending. “I am a retired teacher so anytime a child gets to read, it makes me so happy,” said Fran.
I visited Foothill Oak Elementary for the giveaway and you could read my excitement. In honor of the big day, I brought my favorite librarian of all time, my mother. For 10 years, my mom Sandy Stevens, drove all over the county in the Mobile Media Van for the San Diego County Office of Education reading books to kids and entertaining them with puppet shows. My mom introduced students to famous authors like Sid Fleischman, Clyde Robert Bulla, Judy Blume and so many more.
“I used to read this to you,” said my mom, Sandy, while picking a copy of the kid classic “Goodnight Moon.” Now, thanks to Assistance League, a new generation of readers are discovering the power of getting lost in a book. “Some are really exciting. You don’t get to see the story but you get to imagine it yourself,” said Jim who is a 10-year-old student reading at a 7th-grade level.
“This is just such a happy occasion for all of us and we’ll have smiles that will not go away for a long time,” said Fran.
