ST PETERSBURG, Fla — It's like Christmas day at Maximo Elementary School. The library is filled with shelf after shelf of brand-new books. More than 1,600 of them ready for excited little readers to pick one, or four.
5th grader Tava'rion Johnson knows exactly which books he wants. He grabs one about dogs, a couple of comic books, and this one.
"LeBron James: We are Family. I picked this book because I like basketball," says Johnson.
"Do you like to read?" I ask.
Johnsonn responds, "Yes and I love books. So now you can add to your you do so now you can add to your collection."
Antonia Coleman loves to read. Books makes this 5th grader happy, they're even better when they're free.
"I was very excited. I was like the topic site because I was like we don't have to pay to do this," says Coleman.
Myra Clark is Maximo's Library and media tech specialist. She says literacy skills have to be reinforced, not just at school but also at home.
Clark says, "Having books at home is an important part. It's not just at school that we're reading, so that they know that, oh, I can read a book at home. I get to take it home and that's their big thing. I get to have this book. No, it's mine forever and ever, and to encourage that joy for reading and that's what we're about."
"From the beginning of the school year have said that we cannot be successful without the community being a part of this because it's not just about us here when they're here in school, the community has come together. So it is so amazing that they would think enough of our scholars to be able to donate books and have them be able to take them home and keep them forever," says Principal Lisa Austin.
Click here to learn more about the Scripps News Give a Child a Book Campaign.
