Store, group give students books

About 60 second- and third-graders from Holmes Elementary School filled the children’s section of a local bookstore last week after the store and a nonprofit organization gave the children a grant to buy their own books.

“It’s kind of like kids in a candy store,” said reading teacher Sarah Howard.

As part of its community outreach, Borders Books donated $3,000 in store credit to First Book Spokane, the local affiliate of a national volunteer organization dedicated to promoting early reading and getting books into children’s hands.

First Book donated $1,000 to the Holmes students, who spent part of last Friday afternoon picking out books to take home.

Each child received $18 to spend. Most of them chose paperbacks so they could buy more than one book. In addition, Borders gave the children a 25 percent discount.

Mykel Greene selected “Detective Stories,” “Harry Houdini” and “Henry Ford” because, he said, he likes biographies and crime writing.

“Reading is just my thing,” Greene said.

Kylla Hayes picked a book of humor poetry called “Where the Sidewalk Ends,” so she and her father could enjoy it together. She said she knows reading is important to learning and eventually being successful in a career.

“We don’t normally get to do this,” Hayes said of the buying spree.

Among Kira Geddings’ choices was “High School Musical,” a book that follows the line of a Disney song-and-dance movie.

“It’s my favorite,” she said.

Darin Anderson picked out two “Star Wars” books because “me and my mom are huge fans.”

Since it was founded in 1998, First Book Spokane has given away 30,000 books to children, said Linda Harris, a First Book organizer. And that does not include cash gifts like the one from Borders.

According to First Book, 61 percent of low-income families have no books at home, and 90 million Americans lack basic literacy skills. Adults with poor literacy often live in poverty, the group said.

Harris said the children not only get a chance to delve into new books, but the outing Friday also gave them a chance to practice their math and social skills.

Trampas Wilkinson, inventory supervisor at Borders, said the company views its donation as a way not only to help the community but also to build new customers.

“These are our future Borders shoppers,” he said.

Beth Kowal, with the AmeriCorps reading program at Holmes, said reading is important for children because “it allows them to get beyond what they know in their home environment.

“It allows them to expand their horizons,” she said.