Here at Scripps, we believe books can change a child's story. Having just a small library at home gives students the tools they need to read and break the cycle of poverty.
In many lower-income neighborhoods, children don't have access to a variety of books and spend far less time reading. The "If You Give a Child a Book..." campaign is trying to change that by distributing books to students and giving them the power to choose which books they'll take home and call their own.
"This choice is so important for their reading journeys, because they're much more likely to read, finish the books, if they've chosen them themselves," said Alison Angell, vice president of partnerships for Scholastic.
Every year, the Scripps Howard Fund — a public charity established by Scripps – in partnership with Scholastic, brings book fairs to Title I schools. But at these book fairs, the students take books home for free.
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"It's leveled the playing field," said Dawn Bailey, the principal of Lincoln Heights Elementary School in Cincinnati, Ohio.
"In the past, when kids had to pay at traditional book fairs, somebody in this seat might have $20 and a couple of books," Bailey said. "Somebody over here might have $3 and they end up buying little trinkets, which are cute and they're great, but it's just not the same. So now every single child gets the same number of books."
The Scripps Howard Fund, Scripps News, and Scripps' local television stations are asking viewers to participate by donating to the "If You Give a Child a Book..." campaign. Just $12 provides two books, giving a child a chance to start building their home library this year.
The campaign, which focuses on the critical kindergarten through third grade years, has distributed more than 1 million books and counting.
So, what do you think? "If You Give a Child a Book…"
How would you finish this sentence?
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