(OPB)
This summer, Reach Out and Read is celebrating its 35th anniversary. To honor the milestone, the national group is distributing an additional 350,000 books to partners across the country.
More than 27,500 of those books have already made their way to Oregon and Washington for this celebration. The books specifically reflect the stories and experiences of families of color, same-sex parents and characters with disabilities.
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“Children’s books are a wonderful, joyous thing, right?” Jessica Mortensen, the executive director of Reach Out and Read’s Northwest region, said. “They’re just such a critical part of childhood, that not every child has access to. But we can make that happen.”
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“Reach Out and Read, you know, on the surface, is a simple program, right? Give a book, talk about it, take it home and read it,” Mortensen said. “But the implementation of that has so many different (options).”
Mortensen said it’s important that families have access to books experts describe as “mirrors and windows.”
Mirror books reflect the reader’s own life, and window books show the reader a peek into the lives and experiences of others. Literacy experts say both are important in their own ways — one builds a sense of self-identity and pride, and one helps teach and foster empathy.
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Advocates with the organization say their approach is practical, customizable and sustainable. It also helps children and families feel more comfortable around their doctors.
“Often, we think about medical visits being stressful — they are for us as adults; they are for children as well,” Mortensen said. “And really, to me, the power of Reach Out and Read is that when you welcome someone into a space with a gift, that is very human.
“[It] makes something that otherwise could be hard, joyful and fun and connected.”
Read the full article at OPB here.
KLCC also covered this story.
Read the full article here.
(Image credit: Steve Jervetson / Wikimedia Commons)