Book Vending Machine News

On Friday afternoons, students at JFK now hear an announcement: “Students who are celebrating their birthday or half birthday, please go to the cafeteria for your Bear-thday Book!”

 

The Bear-thday Book Vending Machine will allow every student in the school to choose a birthday book to keep forever. This past week, 24 students lined up next to the shiny new Book Vending Machine and received a gold coin from a treasure chest to use as currency in return for a book. As they waited they peered inside the machine, deciding what to select.

 

“My birthday isn’t until July, so I’m celebrating my half birthday,” said Gwendolyn Danko.

 

The machine is like a regular vending machine for snacks or drinks, except that it holds four rows of books across and four rows of books down, with titles like: Going to the Sea Park by Mercer Mayer; Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Eric Carle; Biscuit by Alyssa Satin Capuccilli, and Roll Thunder Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor. 

 

“I am going to pick Biscuit because the author just came to JFK!” said Chloe Gold.

 

“I want the Bag Guys book because it’s a chapter book,” said Jack Miller.

 

“I already read Roll Thunder Hear My Cry but my copy was ruined, and I love the book,” said Ella Richardson.

 

The book vending machine at JFK and the one at C.V. Starr (stay tuned for the latest news) was purchased with money from a generous grant from the LIttle John Foundation, in honor of their late mother, Victoria Lowry, intended to transform lives and empower students with literacy. By putting high-quality literature directly into the hands of children during a most celebrated moment–their birthday–JFK is working to build personal home libraries, promote reading for pleasure, and create lasting, positive memories associated with books. The mere presence of the vending machines in the school buildings sends a message about the importance of literacy and fostering literacy practices and mindsets at an early age.

 

After students received their books, they sat at tables and read together. What a gift!