Children’s literature class fights for childhood literacy
November 11, 2015
Students of Roanoke College's contemporary children's literature class are teaming up with the Roanoke Public Library and Star City Reads to address the growing literacy issues in the county.
The students have organized a valleywide drive to collect new and gently used children's books for Roanoke's Books on Buses literacy program. In addition to organizing the drive, the class has set up a fundraising website to purchase new books for the program at www.gofundme.com/booksonbuses. The fundraiser runs through December.
"I just want other kids to share the same passion for reading that I have had since I was a little girl," student organizer Tabitha Tutwiler '18 said. "If I can put one book in the hands of an eager child, I've succeeded. Although, I'd love to collect hundreds of books! It is so sad to see children who want to read, but don't have books.
"Childhood literacy is a serious issue in our country, and access to books has everything to do with that," said visiting instructor Mary Hill '91, who teaches children's literature. "By collecting books for Roanoke's Books on Buses program, students can reach out to the children in our community who need books the most."
"The hope is that our efforts will create positive reading experiences for children in our area," said Hill. "When a child develops a love of reading, there can be dramatic and resonating effects in that child's life."
Statistics suggest that children who read or are read to for even 15 minutes a day do better academically and have a greater chance of long-term success. In addition, a study in Research in Social Stratification and Mobility found that having books in the home is twice as important as the father's education level in predicting a child's academic achievement.
Book donations can be dropped off in Books on Buses collection boxes at Mill Mountain Coffee in Salem and downtown Roanoke, Starbucks at Spartan Square and Valley View, CUPS in Grandin Village, Mac and Bob's in Salem, and other area locations. Students will pick up books weekly and place them on Valley Metro buses, where families can select age-appropriate books for children in their households.