This year Gift of Reading event includes an essay contest for Morgan Hill students

Photo courtesy BookSmart
Paradise Valley Engineering Academy Principal Amber Andrade picks up books for the students.

By Marty Cheek

Learning to read is an important part of a child’s development. That’s why BookSmart wants to make sure all kids in Morgan Hill have a chance to receive a gift of a fun children’s book during the holidays.

This year the “Gift of Reading” project includes an essay writing contest that encourages young people to interview an adult to share their stories as a kid.

“The Gift of Reading is our big charity promotion for the  year where we collect new and like new books that are distributed through Morgan Hill Unified School District to the underserved population,” said Cinda Meister, the co-owner of BookSmart. “Every child will get a book for Christmas.”

The project is part of the independent bookstore’s nonprofit BookSmart Community Advantage foundation. It encourages people to donate new or like-new books that are appropriate for kids 12 and younger. People can also donate money to purchase books from the store with a 20 percent discount. In December, a group of volunteers will sort the books, pack them and deliver them to the schools along with toys the Edward Boss Prado Foundation collects.

“Diversity is an important part of the foundation’s mission,” said Brad Jones, co-owner of BookSmart. “We have provided our schools with a variety of books for children. That’s our mission, to encourage literacy in our community, especially around the holidays. We think it’s important every child receives a book of their own.”

New this year to the Gift of Reading distribution, to encourage young people to explore the world of science, the nonprofit group Science is Elementary will provide STEM activity kits and books (in English and Spanish) to kids in Kindergarten through second grade in under-represented communities.

“We’ve had fantastic success working with community partners to distribute these resources to the kids who need them most,” said Chelsey Pippin, director of Science is Elementary.

Building reading skills and an appreciation of books by third grade is vital because it is an indicator of how well they will learn, which in turn is an indicator of success in life, Jones said.

He encourages families with books their children have outgrown to consider donating them to the program to help young people in the South Valley develop their reading ability.

The contest’s theme is “Everybody Has a Life Story.” It encourages young  people to interview an adult who was born in the 20th century and ask him or her questions about their life. In 250 words or less, the essay should describe how life was different prior to 2000 and what a typical school day was like.

It can also  reveal what the home life was like in the 1900s and what kids did for fun or what kind of chores they had to do. They should also share their favorite book and why it was their favorite. In the last paragraph, the writer should tell about their experience interviewing an adult, describing if it was informative, funny, sad or interesting.

Prizes will go to the first place in each age group (second and third grade, fourth and fifth grade, sixth to eighth grade, and high school.) Winners will receive a $50 BookSmart gift certificate, a writing journal, a certificate of merit and publication of their essay in an issue of Morgan Hill Life and Gilroy Life newspapers.

To participate, submit a copy of the essay to BookSmart by 6 p.m. Nov. 30 by email to [email protected], bring it to the store or mail it to BookSmart, 421 Vineyard Town Center, Morgan Hill, CA 95037.

“We like to encourage literacy any way we can,” Jones said.