BUTTE — You’re never too young to start a personal library, and at West Elementary School in Butte, the Scripps Howard Foundation and KXLF are giving students an opportunity to add books to their personal collections.
"I think it was pretty awesome of them to donate all that money for those books and it really helped all of us. Like, for the kids that don’t have enough money to get their own it was really appreciated we really are thankful," says Ty Stepan.
Stepan is a sixth-grade student and budding bibliophile. For last year's book fair, he chose a detective novel and a historical fiction novel based in Germany during World War II.
Teachers at West say that because students are allowed to choose their own books they are more likely to read the ones they choose and it adds to their enthusiasm for reading.
West teacher and reading coach Jennifer Liva has helped hundreds, if not thousands of students learn to read in her 16-year teaching career and she says the book fair adds to her students’ education.
"The kids were so grateful; their eyes just light up when they say they get to take a book home. It’s really important for them to have books at home so they can learn to read and then read to learn when they get older," says Liva.
More information about this year's "If You Give a Child a Book..." campaign can be found on our donation page.
