A space for anyone who is passionate about the power of books
(Hollywood, CA) – While budget cuts continue to stop many public schools from buying new books, the number of “Book Mentors” willing to provide them is growing.
BookMentors asked some of our favourite celebrity reading advocates to share kids’s books that touched their lives, hoping to encourage more people to donate books through the site.
Margaret Cho:
Alysia Reiner
(Orange is the New Black, How to Avoid It Murder)
“I reread”Ghost Toll Booth by Norton Juster” now with my 6 year old and his wisdom is still so relevant and funny!”
David Alan Basche (Ex)
“I lost my father when I was only 6 years old. So order from Wherever You Are: My Love Will Find You by Nancy Tillman very important to me. This book is a great way to instill in my 6 year old daughter the idea that my love will never leave her!”
Kevin Neilon:
The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
Supermodel Emme
“I wrote the book What Are You Hungry For?: Feed Your Stomach and Heart to explain children’s emotional food needs. When parents read this book to their children, conversations about feelings begin early, and the difference between the importance of maintaining a healthy heart and maintaining a healthy body.”
Rob Huebel (Transparent, Children’s Hospital)
“Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein”
“This book was one of my first accounts of comedy and absurdity (and poetry).
It showed me that poetry can be FUN and dark and
terrific and reading it can be fun.
Holly Hanula (Nightcrawler)
“This book is not only a fascinating & extraordinary fantasy a couple of world of wizards, but also a heartwarming story a couple of boy & his grandmother.
As a child, I was completely fascinated by this story & still cherish it today.”
Connecting teachers, librarians, and students in need of books with donors who support literacy, reading, and education, BookMentors uses micropatronage to solve the problem of access to books in very poor schools.
A space for anyone interested in the power of books, the Web site enables readers, writers, publishers, and teachers to connect and share information about kids’s literature and YES. Unique features include virtual book drives, which allow parents, teachers, and community organizations to request and donate books, using leaderboards as a charitable gamification incentive.
The site was founded by former urban teacher and literacy coach Jen Solant, but is run through a dedicated volunteer council located across the country.
“We wanted to create a space where readers, donors and teachers could connect and feel that giving a certain book to a certain classroom was important,” said Soalt. “They can share the joy of an exchange focused entirely on literature and reading — bookworms and teachers who love teaching reading can affirm their joy in sharing books with children.”
BookMentors allows teachers to request a particular book or books they truly need, not just any old donated book that will not meet the needs and preferences of individual students or the teaching curriculum.
“For reluctant readers, a brilliant new book specially selected by a teacher for them can make a world of difference in motivation,” said Problem.
Lack of access to books limits students’ literacy development in poor communities. There are about 13 books per child in a middle-income neighborhood. In low-income neighborhoods, this ratio is estimated to be around 1 book in the house for each 300 kids.
BookMentors is run by a dedicated group of volunteers across the country. Learn more at www.bookmentors.org.
Media Contact:
Paige Wolf
(215) 413-3790
paige@paigewolf.com
