Books are good for you.

During the early days of the pandemic our little bookstore got a big idea: to rally our community of readers and help get books to kids in need. That’s when we launched Book Love, our charitable giving program. 

Our customers donate to the fund and we pay it forward to local literacy groups, classrooms, and tutoring centers. In 2021 we even made a foray into helping refugee families resettle in Alexandria, using Book Love funds to buy supplies and food for our new neighbors. Along the way our store matches 20% of donations and contributed hours of staff time and labor. Our community showed up with couches, tvs, dining tables. In all we moved in seven refugee families, and discovered firsthand the power of grassroots, community-led direct action.

It has been a wonderful, empowering, and inspiring two years. In that time we’ve organized many book drives, sent books to kids stuck at home without library access, and hosted guide-dog-in-training puppies at the store to raise awareness and contributions for Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Like any good reading appetite, the spectrum of Book Love work is wide. 

It’s no surprise to me that our reader community is action-oriented, that they value helping others, and that they feel connected to those around them. Because that’s exactly what storytelling does best - it opens our eyes to the larger world and connects us to people who may have different life stories, but are more alike us than different. Storytelling and books - they’re about connection: To our imaginations, ourselves, to those around us.

This year we have an exciting new addition to the Book Love world. Neighborhood Health is a nonprofit organization focused on getting high quality healthcare to residents of Alexandria, Arlington, and Fairfax, regardless of their ability to pay. Old Town Books gets to take a small part in their latest initiative: getting new books to children at their routine well-visits. 

Neighborhood Health is taking part in Reach Out and Read, a national initiative to help all children build a home library and increase their early literacy through book access. This program will reach hundreds of children right here in Alexandria, thanks to the creative and dedicated team of doctors and nurses at Neighborhood Health. Old Town Books is lucky to help choose those book titles, source them, and pass along our wholesale discounts to help stretch every grant dollar provided to the clinic. Read on to learn more about Reach Out and Read and the community health doctors and nurses who are implementing the program. 

Left to right: Carolina Saldarriaga Perez, MD, and Sophie Presny, DNP, both from Neighborhood Health’s Casey Health Center. Old Town Books owner and Book Love founder, Ally Kirkpatrick.

An interview with Dr. Carolina Saldarriaga & Sophie Presny, DNP

From Neighborhood Health 

Ally Kirkpatrick (AK): Reach out and Read is an evidence-based national pediatric literacy program through which medical providers, as part of routine primary care for young children, are trained to educate parents about the importance of reading aloud. What led you to apply for the Reach Out and Read program? 

Dr. Carolina Saldarriaga Perez (CSP): I had the incredible opportunity of experiencing the Reach Out and Read program during my residency training. It was unbelievably fun and rewarding to see the kids’ faces and their excitement when they received a book at their pediatric visits! As they grew up, they would come in excited about their next book. The connection that we had with them and their families was so much more meaningful than just coming for a regular checkup. Earlier this year, we received an award from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau that helped us partially fund this amazing initiative. 

AK: Approximately how many children do you think you will impact through this program?

CSP: We will be launching our first site at our Casey Clinic this September. Once we have successfully launched our pilot of the program at Casey, we plan on expanding to 3 more of our clinics that provide care to children. 

AK: That’s amazing! Book ownership is such a special part of early childhood. Do you or any of your pediatric providers recall a formative children’s book from your early reading days? 

CSP: This is such a challenging question because I remember so many books that marked my childhood years! My favorite book was The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, and how can you forget the rhymes of Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss series, or The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery? Then during my teenage years, I devoured all the Harry Potter books. Books opened my imagination and gave me an unlimited space to grow and dream and I can’t wait to introduce my patients to this exhilarating world of books.

Sophie Presny, DNP (SP): Some of my earliest memories with my family were sharing a book together. I consider my early introduction to reading as one of the most precious gifts my parents ever gave me, fostering a love for literature and learning that has touched many aspects of my personal and professional life. Some of my favorites from childhood were The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister, Stella Luna by Janell Cannon, and Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. 

AK: From a health professional’s perspective, how would you say book access is important to early childhood development? To literacy?

CSP: Book access is one of the most important factors that impact early childhood literacy. We know that by introducing families to these books, we open a safe space for play and sharing, and the more positive experiences children have with books the more they will cherish them as they grow up. 

SP: About 80% of a child’s brain development occurs during the first three years of life. Experiencing and engaging in language-rich interactions help children develop communication skills, patience, empathy, and literacy—all of which are critical to success in school and beyond. Even for our youngest infant patients, handling books engages their senses, builds their fine and gross motor skills, and creates meaningful associations that support early language development. For our parents, reading together with their child fosters bonding experiences that engage both the child and parent in learning activities while generating feelings of well-being and security within the family.

A recent scientific study showed that raising a child in a home filled with books positively impacts their academic success. Most of the families that Neighborhood Health serves have low-income. Buying books to have at home may not be possible. Our Reach Out and Read program will help families start a library in their homes. 

AK: Thank you both so much for your time sharing more about this program, and for letting our bookstore take a small part in the amazing work you are doing at your community health clinics!

If you would like to donate directly to the Neighborhood Health Reach Out and Read program, visit their website to make a direct tax-deductible donation here.

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