
Month Long Virtual Book Drive for San Diego Students in Need
Local companies and individuals invited to donate new children’s books to help the nonprofit reach its 1,500 collection goal by March 12
San Diego CA— To commemorate National Read Across America Day, United Way of San Diego County (UWSD) in partnership with Warwick’s in La Jolla will host a month long virtual book drive from February 15 through March 12, 2021. Local companies and individuals are encouraged to donate new children’s books to help spark the love of reading in students throughout San Diego County. At the end of the virtual drive, UWSD and Warwick’s hope to collect 1,500 books to increase children’s access to books at home and foster a generation of diverse readers. All books will be donated to San Diego children in need to help enhance their home libraries. The National Education Association’s (NEA) Read Across America Day is the nation’s largest celebration of reading, and expects more than 45 million readers, both young and old, to pick up a book and read.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected families experiencing economic hardship, in turn threatening the educational success of children. Whether it’s online or hybrid learning, many families have been forced to adapt to new systems and routines,” says Nancy L. Sasaki, president and CEO, United Way of San Diego County. “Before the pandemic, many San Diego families were already struggling to meet reading requirements due to lack of time and access to resources. We know the difficulties our community is facing when it comes to reading at home. Our virtual book drive will help alleviate the battle parents and students are experiencing by making books available in the home.”
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 45 percent of San Diego County’s third graders were not reading at grade level, and that was before school closures and virtual learning exacerbated inequitable access to high-quality learning opportunities. On average, students could lose five to nine months of learning by the end of June 2021. Students of color could be six to 12 months behind. While studies show that enhancing a child’s access to books at home has a significant impact on their long-term learning, many students in the San Diego County community do not have enough age-appropriate books in their home libraries. Below is a list of diverse age-appropriate books requested for the UWSD Virtual Book Drive.
“Books have the power to connect us, enlighten us and sweep us away with wonder. In our diverse San Diego community, all children need to see themselves and the richness of their cultures reflected in the stories we share, and give them a glimpse of another person’s circumstances to ultimately build bridges that make our community stronger,” says Stacey Haerr, children’s buyer, Warwick’s. “Read Across America gives Warwick’s and our community an opportunity to celebrate the importance of diverse stories, encouraging children everywhere to dive into books. Put a book in a child’s hand and you’ve opened a gateway to imagination, exploration, and countless possibilities. Who wouldn’t want that?”
Another innovative way the organization fosters literacy is through its “Readers in the Heights” program, where UWSD and its community partners – including City Heights Community Development Corporation, Karen Organization of San Diego, Words Alive, San Diego Council on Literacy, City Heights Weingart Library, Fleet Science Center, and Traveling Stories – collaborate to close learning gaps and provide summer reading opportunities for students and their families. When schools and after-school learning programs moved online, the Readers in the Heights team realized a need to shift its model to keep students excited about reading. Parents of participants reported that, on average, over the course of the Readers in the Heights summer literacy initiative, they read more frequently with their children and for longer periods of time than they do typically. UWSD anticipates that these changes in reading habits will positively impact students’ reading performance over the course of the school year.
In addition to donating a book, financial contributions can also be made directly to UWSD to help the nonprofit support childhood literacy and close learning gaps. Learn more about how to support UWSD’s efforts and its virtual book drive at uwsd.org.
Book List
Picture Books (Ages 2-7)
All are Welcome, Alexandra Penfold
We are Water Protectors, Carole Lindstrom
Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut, Derrick Barnes
Jabari Jumps, Gaia Cornwall
Ohana Means Family, Ilima Loomis
My Papi Has a Motorcycle, Isabel Quintero
The Day You Begin, Jacqueline Woodson
El Dia En Que Descubres Quien Eres (Spanish), Jacqueline Woodson
Julian is a Mermaid, Jessica Love
Eyes that Kiss in the Corners, Joanna Ho
I Talk like a River, Jordan Scott
Amy Wu and the Patchwork Dragon, Kat Khang
I’m Not a Girl, Maddox Lyons
Last Stop on Market Street, Matt de la Pena
Milo Imagines the World, Matt de la Pena
Ultima Parada de la Calle Market (Spanish), Matt de la Pena
Most Days, Michael Leannah
Drawn Together, Minh Le
Bunheads, Misty Copeland
I will Dance, Nancy Flood
Gracias Omu! (Spanish), Oge Mora
Hike, Pete Oswald
Magnificent Homespun Brown, Samara Doyon
Mixed Me, Taye Diggs
Popo’s Lucky Chinese New Year, Virginia Loh-Hagan
Dreamers, Yuyi Morales
Middle-Grade Readers (Ages 8-12)
Amal Unbound, Aisha Saeed
Refugee, Alan Gratz
My Brigadista Year, Catherine Paterson
Kira Kira, Cynthia Kadohata
Everything Sad is Untrue, Daniel Nayeri
From the Desk of Zoe Washington, Janae Marks
New Kid, Jerry Craft
Birdie and Me, JM Nuanez
King and the Dragonflies, Kacen Callendar
Isaiah Dunn is My Hero, Kelly J Baptist
Tristan Strong, Kwame Mebalia
Prairie Lotus, Linda Sue Park
Clean Get Away, Nic Stone
Yo, Naomi Leon (Spanish), Pam Munoz Ryan
Mananaland (Spanish), Pam Munoz Ryan
Ways to make Sunshine, Renee Watson
Inside Out and Back Again, Thanhha Lai
The Night Diary, Veera Hiranandani
When Stars Are Scattered, Victoria Jamieson
Young Adult/Teen (Ages 12-18)
Concret Rose, Angie Thomas
Hate U Give, Angie Thomas
Hora de Brillar (Spanish), Angie Thomas
Dreadnought, April Daniels
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, Becky Albertalli
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Benjamin Saenez
Clap When You Land, Elizabeth Acevedo
The Poet X, Elizabeth Acevedo
The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Emily Danforth
They Called Us Enemy, George Takei
From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun, Jacqueline Woodson
Turtles All the Way Down, John Green
You Should See Me in a Crown, Leah Johnson
Pocho (Spanish), Matt de la Pena
Something In-between, Melissa de la Cruz
If I Was Your Girl, Meredith Russo
Forward Me Back to You, Mitali Perkins
The Rest of Us Just Live Here, Patrick Ness
Internment, Samira Ahmed
I Love You So Mochi, Sarah Kuhn
The Absolute Story of a Part-time Indian, Sherman Alexie
Legendborn, Tracy Deonn
ABOUT UNITED WAY OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY
For 100 years, United Way of San Diego County has aligned with partners to address inequities in the region and help underserved communities. United Way’s specialty lies in identifying sustainable, long-term goals and achieving them through leveraging data and partners’ expertise to better understand root causes and putting impactful solutions into action.
United Way’s work, in partnership with others, uses shared goals, innovation and proven practices to transform the lives of children, young adults and families in the San Diego region. United Way focuses on educational milestones, such as kindergarten readiness, third-grade literacy, high school preparation, and college and career pathways. Learn more and get involved by visiting www.uwsd.org, Facebook, Twitter, or by calling (858) 492-2000.