Fantastic Flying Books

Our Fantastic Flying Books courtesy of The Louis Valentino Jr. Memorial Fund

The mission of Broadway Books First Class is to promote literacy and arts education.  One component of that goal is putting high quality children's books in the hands of my students.

The Louis Valentino Jr. Memorial Fund recently brought that dream to fruition in a spectacular way.  Their generous donation to the program is allowing me to order copies of each book in the reading series for every child in first grade.

Some students proudly holding their Fantastic Flying Books

On Friday we had a little book celebration in honor of The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.  With books in hand we watched the Academy Award Winning Short Animated Film.

It was incredible to witness the excitement buzzing in the classroom. Children spread out on the floor following the action with every turn of the page.  Smiles and wonder showing on each face. Conversations about books. Laughter.  Gasps. Ahhh's. It was truly joyous.

"Morris found great satisfaction in caring for the books, gently fixing those
with fragile bindings and unfolding the dog-eared pages of others."

These are the moments that build ownership. Children connect with stories in these warm, cozy snippets of comfort. They build associations. They see themselves as readers. Books and stories become theirs.

Once that happens they will follow in the footsteps of Morris who loved words, stories and books.

To his cherished books he said, "'I'll carry you all in here,' and pointed to his heart."

Thank you to The Louis Valentino Jr. Memorial Fund for that gift!