With Dave Barry at the WeGiveBooks.org Press Conference
As a kid I devoured books. I read through the Judy Blumes. I raced through Harriet the Spy. I became obsessed with reading every book in the Chalet School book series. The Chalet School books were written in 1930s and 1940s. The books were hard to come by, but I found them at the library, at bookstores, and at school. Now, can you imagine not being able to have access to books?
Amy Tan shared her story of her childhood. The books she treasured were books given to her by missionaries. It was not until she was a little older that she was able to get a library card. The library opened up the world of books to her. I know that my children have benefited from reading books in our home, at the bookstore, and at school. My children know that I will almost never deny them a book.
Amy Tan shared her childhood memory of books at the Washington, D.C., launch of the WeGiveBooks.org. We Give Books is a venture between Penguin Books and the Pearson Foundation. So far 3,178 (correction: 3,710 books have been donated since I started this post!) books have been donated by We Give Books to organizations that distribute books to children all over the world and the U.S. I missed meeting Amy Tan. I’m a little mad at myself, as I have read most of Tan’s books.
Here’s how it works…moms…dads…grandparents…teachers…go to WeGiveBooks.org. Once on the site, choose a campaign from the list of campaigns, such as:
- NEA Foundation’s Books Across America
- Haiti Learning Spaces
- United Through Reading — donate books to military families
Once a campaign is chosen, you can choose a book to read to a child from a list divided by in to categories “New Releases,” “0-3,” “4-7,” and “8-10.” When the books is read, a book will be donated to the organization of your choice. It’s that simple.
A treat for me was meeting Dave Barry at the end of the press conference. Barry was syndicated in the Washington Post Magazine each Sunday.
I wrote this review as part of a campaign by Mom Central on behalf of We Give Books and received breakfast, tickets to the Rock Bottom Remainders concert, and a gift certificate.
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