FOX 13, with the help of the Scripps Howard Fund, partners with Cyprus Credit Union every year to bring free books to students who need them the most in our area with the “If You Give a Child a Book Campaign”.
This year’s fall book fair was held at the Guadalupe School in Salt Lake City.
“You can kind of feel that excitement of Christmas Day,” says the Guadalupe School’s assistant principal Valerie Jones of the fair.
And just like the variety of presents under the Christmas tree, Jones says choosing your books is the best part.
“Student choice and voice and their selection of those books makes all the difference,” says Jones. “Their reading levels and reading ability is one of the greatest impacts on their futures, so I want to give them every opportunity we can.”
Those opportunities are important.
These books are the building blocks for the student’s success and their family’s success.
“Reading is a high priority at Guadalupe, especially since so many of our students were English-language learners this year, as one of our goals is to have every student improving their reading and reading proficiency,” says Jones. “For many of our families that are Spanish speakers, having Spanish books available helps provide a connection into English literacy that they may not have with an English text, so providing those opportunities really helps involve the families in the educational process.”