Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada

Books for Kids

Saskatchewan Schools Benefit from 
Books for Kids Program

The combined Grade 3 and 4 French Immersion class at Ecole Connaught Community School are really into the books received from the Books for Kids Project for their personal use. This program, has reached approximately 1300 students throughout the province.
Students at St. Mary’s School in Moose Jaw check out the story in Thunder Ice and in The Incredible Polly McDoodle; books which were distributed for their personal use, as part of the Books for Kids Project. Presentation to the Grade 5 classes was made by Festival of Words Board Member, Jeannette Dow.
Admiral School in Admiral was one of the schools in Saskatchewan whose students each received a book to keep from the Books for Kids project, now in its fifth year. Titles are chosen by a committee of elementary school teachers and are geared to specific grade levels.
Letters from the Grade 3 class of St. Augustine's Community School in Regina include many thank you's as well as additional  comments, among them "In all of the books that I have How the Robin Got its Red Breast is my favourite and I've read it five times."
The Grade 3 class at Punnichy Elementary School hug their copies of How the Robin Got its Red Breast. Punnichy Elementary School was one of eighteen Saskatchewan schools chosen to be part of the Books for Kids project which fulfills the festival mandate of promoting literacy and encouraging a life-long love of reading.
Flanking the excited kindergarten class at Ross School in Moose Jaw are the teacher (extreme left) and a member of the Festival of Words Board. Festival Director Jeannette Dow handed out copies of Kevin Major’s book Eh? to Zed: An ABCedarium for the children to take home and keep. This was just one of the schools that were chosen to be part of the Books for Kids project
A few of the Grade Two students of St. John Community School in Prince Albert proudly display the book Mister Got to Go  by Lois Simmie, forty copies of which were distributed through the Books for Kids project.
The Grade 4 class of Naicam School in Naicam proudly display their copies of Ghost Hotel by Arthur Slade.
Happy to receive books of their very own to keep, the Grade 5 students of Naicam School are pleased to be part of the Books for Kids project.
Star-Glass by Duncan Thornton was placed in the hands of the Grade 6 class at Naicam School.
Students of Susdaze School in La Loche were thrilled to receive a variety of books from the Books for Kids project.  The school recently initiated a home reading program (the kids take a book home very evening and read to their families) and the students were delighted to have new books of their own to keep.
Ghost Hotel by Arthur Slade, a gift of the Books for Kids project, generated  enthusiastic discussion by the Grade 4 class and their teacher at Bruno Elementary School in Bruno.

This is year nine of the Books for Kids literary program.  The goal is to promote literacy and lifelong reading by providing books for school children to take home and read with their parents or on their own.  Aimed at children in grades one to six, Books for Kids is one of several Festival initiatives intended to promote word skills in children and youth.  All books chosen are by Canadian authors.  A committee of teachers makes the selections, which are distributed to rural and urban classrooms around the province.

As a major sponsor of this initiative, the Moose Jaw Businessmen's Club has pledged its support on a three-year global basis enabling the festival to continue with Books for Kids on a large scale.  In addition, SaskEnergy has provided a generous contribution which will fuel further outreach to schools and homes.  The Moose Jaw Rotary Club also provided funds which were used for a individual school in Moose Jaw.  In 2005/06, 677 students in 37 classrooms in 17 schools were provided with books to keep.

Our funders recognize that litearcy is the foundation on which all other learning is built.  They are proud to partner with the Festival of Words on the Books For Kids literacy program.  Among the valued accolades are those of the children who send enthusiastically grateful thank you letters.

Festival of Words is proud of the Books For Kids program and pleased to have the Moose Jaw Businessmen's Club, SaskEnergy and the Moose Jaw Rotary Club as key players in its ongoing success.  We also had contributions from Susan Newlove and the Saskatchewan Teachers of English Language Arts.