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Having
A Book Drive
How
You Can Help
How
do we use books?
NH
Reads AmeriCorps has an important goal of encouraging young children to
read. Included in this encouragement are the more specific goals of:
-
enhancing
children's ability to read,
-
providing
parents and caregivers with skills to support reading with their children,
-
sharing
the enjoyment and pleasure that reading can bring, and
-
providing
guidance to bring good reading resources into the hands of children and
their families.
What
books do we want?
NH
Reads AmeriCorps solicits donations of books which can support these
goals. We would be delighted to receive books that children would
enjoy. Hard and soft cover books are welcome. We seek books that
include one or more of the following attributes:
-
are
interesting and fun to read,
-
explore
the world of language and how words can be used (at children's levels),
-
use
rhythm, word play, and other fun ways to extend language
-
share
folk tales and other traditional children's literature,
-
are
of interest to one or more of the age levels between birth and age eight,
-
provide
concepts and ideas that enhance the daily lives of children and families,
-
portray
a wide range of information about our world and universe,
-
deal
with others respectfully,
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are
in a physical condition suitable for sharing with children, and
-
avoid
commercial movie, TV, and merchandise tie-ins.
What
kinds of books do kids like?
-
Board
books -- Very young children like stiff, board-like pages, and washable
books.
-
Picture
books -- have interesting pictures and relatively few words.
Toddlers enjoy having these books read to them by an adult.
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Early
readers -- are great for children just learning to read and have easy
vocabulary, colorful pictures, short sentences.
-
Chapter
books -- are divided into chapters, have more developed plot and
characters, fewer illustrations.
Things
to remember as you collect books:
-
please
collect only clean books that are in good conditiion (no rips, mildew,
tears, missing pages or markings).
-
Place
books in boxes weighing less that 20 lbs. (about 25 books per box maximum)
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If
a book comes with a cassette tape or other materials, all should be in a
secured plastic bag or container.
-
If
books are non-fiction (science, history, etc.), they should be reasonably
up-to-date.
-
Books
should be suitable for ages birth through age eight.
-
Others
are welcome but should be placed in separate boxes, and labeled accordingly
(e.g., pre-teens, teens, adults)
-
Books
with religious stories and topics should be in separate boxes, and labeled
as such.
How
will books be used?
Books
will be distributed and used in many different places such as Head Start
programs, childcare centers, schools, libraries, and other locations where
parents and children gather. We ask that all items donated to NH Reads are
provided without restriction on the ways in which we might use them. In
some cases we may use books for fundraising that will allow us to purchase
brand new books for children and families. We will gladly provide receipts
for donated materials for tax purposes, but cannot vouch for the actual values
of the items.
If
you're ready to do a book drive, contact us. We will be happy to help you.
Telephone us at (603) 225-3295 or 1-800-856-5525.
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