By Phillip Day and Jane Natoli, Alpha Mu Lambda, Central Connecticut State University

 

In the spring of 2009, the members of Central Connecticut State University’s Alpha Mu Lambda began planning an ambitious project. Our desire was to create a service project for local elementary students that not only delivered a message about the importance of literacy, but also provided a tangible contribution to the literacy environment surrounding the students. To do this, we created a unique event we called a “Book Bash.”

 

Our research, which was largely collected from the hard work of The Greater Hartford Literacy Council, indicated that in many local households, a book can sometimes become a luxury rather than a common item. Our members recognized that this disparity is often the result of economic factors. With this in mind, we decided to focus on helping students build home libraries. The benefits were twofold: schools were able to count on the students having books to read outside of class, and families received a much needed gift. We knew that this would require numerous new and gently-used books and a lot of organization for such an event. To assist in the collection of quality reading materials, we enlisted the help of local businesses and our college community. Our members diligently established collection boxes throughout the surrounding towns, and with a great deal of assistance from CCSU’s local chapter of the Golden Key International Honor Society, we collected over 2,000 books from our local literacy-minded citizens!

 

Determining how to distribute the books was where the collective creativity of Alpha Mu Lambda members was challenged. We wanted to create a fun atmosphere where the students could make meaningful memories that would last a lifetime. We decided that we needed to include an art project and a special book reading to go along with the distribution of the books. We partnered with New Britain’s Gaffney Elementary School, and, with the help of reading specialists Sarah Kupiec and Annette Levine, created a day-long schedule of activities that would engage every student.

 

We knew that finding an amazing author for our Book Bash would be a challenge. When we contacted West Hartford, Connecticut, writer and illustrator, Julie C. Phillipps, she immediately agreed to participate, even before she knew the size of her audience! Phillipps had recently published a children’s book entitled Wink! The Ninja Who Wanted to be Noticed, and she had already given several small, local readings of the book to groups of children. The story follows the character of Wink, a little boy ninja who just couldn’t get the hang of being secret and stealthy like his teacher, Master Zutsu, wanted him to be. Instead, Wink wants to run and dance and yell like little boys do. By the end of the funny story, Wink finds a way to display his ninja talents AND draw attention to himself without getting in trouble!

 

Luckily for us, since Phillipps is such a talented artist, she often does an art project with the kids she reads her book to. We worked with her to develop a simple project that could be done in an auditorium full of children right in their seats. We decided on colorful paper bookmarks so Phillipps could teach the children how to draw Wink in black marker. One of our members insisted on having tassels for each bookmark, so we happily attached each one individually.

 

After collecting books and planning the event over the summer and into the fall semester of 2009, Alpha Mu Lambda’s first Book Bash took place on Friday, October 28, 2009. Throughout the day, over 400 students participated and were able to each take home 2-3 books of their choice. The day was organized into three waves so that groups of classes would listen to Phillipps read Wink! The Ninja Who Wanted to be Noticed, then ask questions and talk about the writing and illustrating process, and finally complete their art project. The students especially enjoyed the art project and drew Wink in scenes of the story as well as in new scenes, such as on skateboards or with different ninja weapons. At the same time, other classes took turns visiting the cafeteria where tables were set up with our two thousand books, which were separated by reading level. Honor Society Members volunteered during the day to keep everything running smoothly: monitoring the students’ choice of books, helping to find books that might interest the more hesitant children, encouraging the kids to pick books that were appropriate for their reading level and, of course, keeping the tables stocked with books as the piles quickly disappeared.

 

The excitement of the children as they mulled over and discussed their choices of books with their friends was endearing. “We get to keep these and take them home?” was a frequent question as we instructed the children to look through the books for ones they thought they would like. The most popular books went quickly, and we learned which titles we would have to stock up on for next time: Harry Potter, books that followed TV series and cartoons, Magic Tree House, Bionicles, and books about animals. The excitement and awe of the children as they realized they were receiving books they could own also reinforced the sad fact that books were a rare possession of many of these inner city children and inspired us to keep working toward spreading literacy in the community around us.

 

Once all the students hand-picked their very own books, we donated dozens of books for the teachers to keep in their classrooms for the children. We even were able to stock a huge bookshelf in the school lobby so parents could take even more books home for their children. 

 

As we packed up the boxes of books left over from the day, we immediately began planning for the next event and discussing with the reading specialists which other elementary schools in the area would really benefit from a Book Bash. We are excited to announce that the next event will be held on June 4, 2010, at New Britain’s Jefferson Elementary School! For more information about our Book Bash or our planning process, contact CCSU’s chapter president, Phillip Day, at phillipday79@yahoo.com.