BOOKnews
Cleveland, Ohio
KIDS BOOK BANK CONNECTS WITH CHANTE THOMAS AT PARADE THE CIRCLE FEST
Author Chante Thomas and Executive Director Ori Akrish
Kids Book Bank recently connected with local author Chante Thomas at the Parade the Circle Fest. She's been a 5th grade teacher in Shaker Heights for the past 28 years and has self-published four children's books.
Chante was inspired to write her first book, "Where I'm From," after taking a Children's Literature survey course and seeing how few books there were "that represented people who looked like me."
Chante says, "As one of the few teachers of color in 5th grade at my school, I see daily how important it is to have kids see someone who looks like them. In fact, it was my students who encouraged me to publish my first book in 2018. I am so passionate about showing positive characters who embrace diversity, have wonderful experiences with family and friends, and celebrate a love of reading."
We're hoping to partner with Chante on an upcoming event.
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S CORNER
Friends,
We are thrilled to share the incredible success of Books Like Me 2023 with you. We have not only achieved our generous board member match goal of $5,000 in new donations, but we also welcomed many new donors and volunteers during the campaign.
Thanks to the generosity of all of our Books Like Me supporters, we will meet our yearly goal of purchasing and distributing over 40,000 diverse books to children in our community. This includes 1,000 brand-new, diverse books that will be distributed at the community Juneteenth celebration this Saturday.
Your unwavering support has been instrumental in our mission to promote literacy and a love of reading, and we are deeply grateful for your belief in our cause. Together, we are making a lasting impact and ensuring that children from all backgrounds have access to literature that reflects their experiences and expands their horizons.
If you are interested in seeing our work first-hand by volunteering, please sign up here or email me directly. Together, we can make a lasting impact on literacy and empower communities through the power of books.
Warm regards,
Executive Director