NASHUA, NH – Storyteller Simon Brooks visited Mount Pleasant Elementary School as part of Children’s Literacy Foundation’s (CLiF) Year of the Book Grant award on Tuesday morning, followed by ice cream provided by CLiF.
Mount Pleasant received the Year of the Book Grant award at the beginning of this year. The grant award gives schools $25,000 worth of literacy programming and books, a variety of literacy-related programs – such as author visits – to foster enthusiasm for literacy.
The grant also allows each student to choose 10 books to take home.
“The kids get to pick out their own books which I think is hugely important because they’ll know what works for them as opposed to somebody else picking out a book that they may not like,” said Simon Brooks. “I think that adds an element of excitement to it.”
The Year of the Book Grant Award goes to elementary schools in New Hampshire and Vermont that meet eligibility requirements, such as having at least 35 percent of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, and at least 30% of students scoring below a proficient level on reading and writing assignments.
“They are loving it,” said Nicole Belanger, library media specialist at Mount Pleasant. “As soon as the kids hear about their next author visit … and the book giveaways … they get very excited. During library [time], kids are loving to read.”
Students were previously sent home with CLiF Read with Me contracts. To complete the contract, students go home and read with their parents and bring the contract back to school. As a reward for returning at least 80 percent of the contracts, the students at Mount Pleasant had ice cream after the author visit.
Next month, a reptile show will be coming to the school and each student will receive a nonfiction book about reptiles.
“It’s to promote literacy and to make a culture of literacy in our school,” Belanger said. “My whole job is to promote the love of reading.”