NORTH OMAHA, Neb. (Omaha) — At KMTV 3, we appreciate the simplicity of If You Give a Child a Book. The more money we raise, the more books local kids get.
- This year, we raised enough to return to King Elementary in North Omaha. The spring book fair totaled 1,830 books — five books each to all 366 students.
- Fifth grade teacher Lindsey Brown, who has taught for 12 years, said the campaign has led to noticeable improvements in students' desire to read, and their willingness to read aloud in class.
- Donations for the next If You Give a Child a Book fair can be made online. (And watch the story for the 'thank you' from the kids!)
Continue reading for the expanded version of the story.
The spring book fair at King Elementary put 1,830 books into the hands of students — 5 books apiece for all 366 kids enrolled there.
The initial goal of If You Give a Child a Book was for every student at the school to have 10 books in their home library. With this fair, students now have at least 15.
Fifth grader, Marcus, made the most of the event.
"I found this Spiderman Into the Spiderverse book, this Minecraft Encyclopedia, and this Mario. And these were originally my three books that I was going to pick, but I heard I was supposed to get five."
Fellow fifth grader, Albert, said the subjects that draw him in are "action, drama and crime" — but he also has a sense of humor. One of his five picks was an animal joke book.
"Alright: What type of seafood do monkeys eat? Shrimpanzees."
His teacher, Lindsey Brown, smiled at that — because the class has studied puns.
Brown, who has taught fifth graders for 12 years, said If You Give a Child a Book has made a difference in her students.
"They love coming in here. They love exploring all the different books and seeing new books they've never heard of. Some of them are in the middle of a series, so when they see the next book, they grab it right away."
Brown also said she has seen broader changes in her students since the campaign began.
"I've seen a difference in the desire to read, the motivation to try. And I've seen a difference in peer interactions and being comfortable reading out loud with peers."
More students are now volunteering to read aloud in class compared to a few years ago. Brown connected that progress to a larger district goal.
"We're reaching toward the moonshot!"
That's a reference to Omaha Public Schools' goal of having every student reading on grade level by 2030.
To donate or learn more, visit 3newsnow.com/giveabook. Donors can choose to give once or monthly at any amount. The site remains open most of the year.
And, to learn more about the mission and how the campaign, managed by the Scripps Howard Fund, works, please visit this site.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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