WHAT WE DO
Reading can lead to world peace—but first, kids need books.
Copperfield’s Books routinely takes authors to visit schools and to meet and inspire students. The Bookstormer Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, in coordination with Copperfield’s, will provide a book for every student at an author assembly in a Title I school. Students are always welcome to purchase books at an author visit; at low-income schools, it’s rare for a student to have the means to purchase a book.
WHY IT MATTERS
We want kids to realize that books are for everyone. When a child is given a book and the author signs it for them, they develop an immediate personal connection to the world of books. Discovering this world also unlocks curiosity, empathy, insight, and a lifelong love of reading.
It’s important for kids to hear an author describe the effort and persistence that goes into the process of creating a book - writing, revisions, rejections, trying again, trying another way, succeeding. When they hear of editors and rewrites and corrections, they’re able to see the challenges they may face in school as part of a process, not as a failure.
Books in the home are the single biggest indicator of academic success—surpassing income, parents’ education, family composition, and all other factors. In middle-income neighborhoods, the ratio of books per child is 13 age-appropriate books to every 1 child; in low-income neighborhoods, that ratio is 1 book for every 300 children.
The Bookstormer Foundation intends to get more books into the hands - and hearts - of low-income children.
SOURCES:
“Recent findings published in the journal Social Science Research show that raising a child in a home filled with books positively impacts [their] future academic growth and job attainment.” Specifically, the study found that when it comes to standardized tests, “Regardless of how many books the family already has, each addition to the home library helps children do better.” That makes sense: A book-filled home encourages a culture of reading for enjoyment and talking about books.
The study shows literacy levels surging at 80 books. Being surrounded by lots and lots of books where they live helps children build vocabulary, increase awareness and comprehension, and expand horizons — all benefiting them in adulthood, according to the study. But beyond literacy, the study's authors found a correlation between homes full of books and both the "ability to use mathematical concepts in everyday life" and "the ability to use digital technology to communicate with others." Books in the home make a difference beyond literacy.” – Jodie Rodriguez, Scholastic Parents, October 2018
“61% of America’s low-income children are growing up in homes without books”: Reading Literacy in the United States: Findings from the IEA Reading Literacy Study, 1996.
“Growing up in a home with 500 books would propel a child 3.2 years further in education, on average, than would growing up in a similar home with few or no books... A child from a family rich in books is 19 percentage points more likely to complete university than a comparable child growing up without a home library.” Evans, M.D.R., J. Kelley, J. Sikora, and D. J. Treiman. 2010. "Family Scholarly Culture and Educational Success: Evidence From 27 Nations." Research in Social Stratification and Mobility 28(2):171-197.
“Books in the home are the single biggest indicator of academic success — surpassing income, parents’ education, family composition, and all other factors. To do well in school, children need to grow up in homes rich with books”: Jeff McQuillan, The Literacy Crisis: False Claims, Real Solutions, 1998
“In middle-income neighborhoods the ratio of books per child is 13 to 1, in low-income neighborhoods, the ratio is 1 age-appropriate book for every 300 children”: Neuman, Susan B. and David K. Dickinson, ed. Handbook of Early Literacy Research, Volume 2. New York, NY: 2006, p.