Little Things

It's easy to get excited about new programs designed to get kids reading, but sometimes it's not programs, but little things that make a big difference.  My fourth-grade son had been looking forward to reading the third book in Rick Riordan's Heroes of Olympus series, so when he found out his elementary school library had received  a copy, he rushed to the librarian's desk to check it out.  Unfortunately, someone had beaten him to it.  The next week he checked back with the librarian, but the book had not been returned.  By the third week, he was growing impatient.  A sixth-grade teacher happened to overhear his conversation with the librarian, and she offered to loan him a copy from her classroom.  He followed her to her room, and as she pulled it off her shelf she remarked, "None of the students in my class have read this yet, so you'll be the first one."  He already had his nose in the book when I picked him up from school.

So, kudos to Mrs. Hill for going out of her way to loan a brand-new book to a kid she didn't even know simply because he couldn't wait to read it.  Sometimes you don't need stickers or an ice-cream sundae party or free tee-shirts, you just need the right book at the right time.