Gilroy
– What do a dinosaur cleaning its room and a girl with a purple
plastic purse have in common?
Both characters soon will become known nationwide by one million
children as Barnes
&
amp; Noble and Verizon Communications continue their annual book
drive.
Gilroy – What do a dinosaur cleaning its room and a girl with a purple plastic purse have in common?
Both characters soon will become known nationwide by one million children as Barnes & Noble and Verizon Communications continue their annual book drive.
The goal of the program, called Season’s Readings: One Million Books for One Million Children, is to deliver just that by Jan. 15.
To participate, customers purchase children’s books from a list of titles suggested by the National Center for Family Literacy, also a partner in the book drive. The list, found at any Barnes & Noble store or online at www.bn.com/millionbooks, includes the aforementioned “How Do Dinosaurs Clean Their Rooms” and “Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse.”
Customers also can purchase books in Spanish through a book drive called Libros en Español.
A bookmark will be placed inside each book for the recipient, and customers can personalize their donations. Donors can drop books off at any Barnes & Noble store, and book orders placed online totaling more than $25 will be shipped free of charge. Additionally, a book will be donated for every purchase of Verizon DSL service.
Season’s Readings began Nov. 19 and will continue through the end of the year. An event celebrating the book drive, planned for Dec. 18, will feature local celebrities reading to local grade-school children, as well as a visit from Santa Claus.
Purchases at Gilroy Barnes & Noble, 6825 Camino Arroyo Drive at Gilroy Crossing, will help benefit Gilroy Unified School District’s 21st Century After School program, which provides and encourages after-school activities.
Through the Gift of Literacy program, the local store has “adopted” fourth and fifth graders from Eliot, Las Animas and Glen View elementary schools, as well as middle schoolers at South Valley Middle School, said Olivia Schaad, the district’s director of curriculum and instruction.
So far, about 250 names of local students have been sent to the bookstore, which in turn will pair donated books with students’ names. The goal is to collect 300 books, Schaad said.
“They’re being very generous in their donations of books to our families and kids,” Schaad said.
Schaad said she’s especially grateful to the bookstore for its continued loyalty despite a broken water main in the store in August, which forced a two-month closure.
“Even through that, they’ve still found the time to do things with our schools,” she said.
Kelly Waters, manager of Gilroy Barnes & Noble, said the drive is beneficial because many kids in Gilroy don’t have access to books.
“The holidays are not only a time to receive, but also a time to give,” she said.
