Books From Friends Distributes 2,240 Books at Three Events

Books from Friends (BFF) volunteers had three successful events in May, concluding the 2024-25 school year by distributing 2,240 new books in one month.

Reading and Writing Initiative Celebration
BFF members attended the Reading and Writing Initiative Celebration at St. Louis Public School headquarters on May 6. This event honored the writing accomplishments of third and fourth grade students from various St. Louis public schools.

Dressed in storybook character costumes, BFF volunteers helped students select books for their home libraries. Members often dress in characters such as Pete the Cat, Waldo, Clifford, a slice of pizza, a dinosaur, and many others that spark excitement about reading.

They distributed 450 new books to 350 students at this event.

Interactive Book Festival
A second event, an interactive book festival at Buder Elementary School in the Ritenour School District on May 16, included a character costume parade, puppet show, and classroom readings. Authors Micheal Anderson and David Cole visited with the students. Each student selected books for their personal library, with 1,500 new books distributed to 480 students.

“Our students were so excited about all of the activities,” said Buder Library Media Specialist Chrissy Phillips. “They couldn’t believe they got to pick out and keep books for their own home library.”

“The teachers reported that the students were very engaged and asked deep questions. The day had a great impact on the school,” Phillips said.

Susan Long, one of the co-chairs of BFF, said BFF volunteers are all dedicated to children’s literacy. “We love to see kids get excited about reading. It puts our passion into purpose. We are so joyful about what we’re doing.” The other co-chair is Mindy Helmich.

“We don’t just give out books. We interact with the children and help them select books that will interest them,” Long said. The children are happy that they don’t have to return the books, she added.

The puppet show, presented for preschool and kindergarten students, is based on the book Why Not You? by Ciara and Russell Wilson. The puppets reflect the school population. The children love to touch the puppets after the show and often remark that the puppets look like them and have hair like them, Long said.

Inspiring Authors Book Bash
At a third event, Assistance League of St. Louis collaborated with the Boys and Girls Club of Greater St. Louis to host the 2nd Annual Inspiring Authors Book Bash on May 17.

It was a celebration of stories, hands-on learning, and aspirational thinking at the Matthews-Dickey Boys & Girls Club. Children were inspired by local authors who spoke about gaining resilience, positivity, and perseverance through reading.

Students met local authors Arika Par, Ava Johnson, Micheal Anderson, Zara Daughtery, and Angela Lewis through a panel discussion.

Anderson, author of the Zoey Lyndon series, led a science activity based on one of her books. She told students that her two daughters are scientists and that they, too, can set high goals to be anything they want to be.

The 30 children attending the program left with a bag of books to support summer reading, along with an author starter kit. BFF also provided books for the 30 students who couldn’t attend the book bash due to recent storms. They also donated 50 books for the club library, for a total of 290 books at this event.

Brandon Williams, president and CEO of the Boys and Girls Club, emphasized how books opened doors in his life, enabling him to become a leader.

The BFF Committee typically plans 8-11 interactive book events throughout the school year, each lasting about three hours. Volunteers were especially eager to help students select their books in May—just in time to build those home libraries for the summer months ahead!