West Broad Farmers Market

On a sweltering day last summer at Broad Acres, a woman told me the West Broad Farmers Market would be perfect for the Bibliobike. So I took her advice and pedaled there two Saturdays ago to get a feel for the route and turnout. After buying some tasty beets and kohlrabi from R&R Secret Farms, I met a kind member of the Athens Land Trust team named Travis, the Community Agriculture Director. Brief introductions and a few emails led to today’s test ride with the rig, the first of the year…

Farmers Market Route

I tightened up some bolts, pumped up the tires, hitched the rig to the bike, then headed south along Chase Street. Cruising down Hancock was fun, but crossing West Broad was unavoidable (and a bit stressful). Once the light turned green, I decided to ride along a short stretch of sidewalk to avoid cars racing past at 40+ miles per hour. The return trip uphill worried me most, but it wasn’t bad. The Plaza looked like less of an incline compared to Hancock or Glenhaven, so I inched my way back up to Chase. The route wasn’t as difficult as last summer’s trips to Garnet Ridge, so the West Broad Farmers Market will be the first Bibliobike stop of 2019.

The market will celebrate Juneteenth on Saturday, June 15th. Juneteenth is an annual holiday when people around the country celebrate the end of slavery in the United States, so why not celebrate by empowering kids with literature? Starting June 15th, the Bibliobike will join sustainability and community-oriented folks at the market on Saturdays from 9:00-1:00.

More delivery locations are in the works, so stay tuned and spread the word!

Early Reader Packs

00010c — Early reader packs offer books, comprehension questions, and reading correlation charts.

There’s a high demand for books written for kids around kindergarten age, so the Bibliobike now offers packs for early readers. Each includes five paperbacks, a bilingual list of comprehension questions, and a reading level correlation chart. The one pictured above was given to a young mother in Garnet Ridge, where Spanish is most folks’ first language. Click here for the questions, or here for the chart.

The Salvation Army

The day I met Tracy, the site manager for Summer Food Service distribution at The Salvation Army, the program was shuttered due to low turnout. I happened to catch Tracy and three other women walking out of the cafeteria on that last day (June fifth), so I delivered the usual elevator pitch. She explained why lunches would no longer be served, then invited me to bring books around dinnertime.

“On any given night, between six to eight families stay here. We serve dinner from five to six, and people start showing up around four.”

“I’ll see you next Monday.”

Drenched in sweat, I pulled into the parking lot behind the cafeteria a little before four. A woman poked her head out of the door and gave me a curious look. I introduced myself, explained the strange rig, then set everything up.

Initially, mostly men walked up and situated themselves on the concrete benches. Most knew each other, and a few asked about the Bibliobike. Many mentioned how much they looked forward to showering after dinner.

During the next hour, moms, dads and kids joined us as the group swelled to around forty. I gave away thirteen books in all – many to adults planning to pass them along to young family members. A man with a long grey braid named Mike chose a book about dinosaurs for a nephew which sparked a conversation about places to find fossils in Georgia. Another man selected two books for a grandson in Chicago. Some moms sent their children over on their own to select books. Others chatted while helping their kids choose. From illness to prison stints, snippets of conversations throughout the evening revealed a range of struggles rooted in poverty.

Garnet Ridge

One of last summer’s Bibliobike stops was on a concrete slab at the corner of Amethyst and Elkview situated in a Latino community of fifty or so duplexes. A former student and long time resident named Carlos said, “You should set up at La Escuelita.” This summer I will.

A collaboration between UGA and the Northeast Georgia Foodbank converted the duplex into a small after school center for residents of the Garnet Ridge community in 2014. When I visited the building last summer, I must have missed the hour-long window when lunches are served because it was vacant. This summer’s timing is much better.

I call the number on the Summer Food Service Program flyer for “more information.” A kind woman gives me specific delivery times and site manager names for locations around town. Garnet Ridge deliveries are scheduled from noon to one, so I drive over (rather than tow the cart in case nobody’s there) and meet Latasha. After my Bibliobike spiel, she says, “You’ll help us, and we’ll help you.” She says turnout has been low, and if the number of kids on a given day continues to drop below twelve, the site will be shut down. Hopefully free books will incentivize more kids to come out when the Bibliobike returns.

For more information about the history of The Awesome Clubhouse @ La Escuelita, click here.

Rocksprings

The first time I load up and make the trek to Rocksprings Homes, I’m a week early (ugh). I park the Bibliobike outside the community center then talk with the receptionist inside and hand her a flyer. She explains that lunches are primarily distributed to kids who attend summer camp, and “the manager is out of the office.”

“What’s her name?”

“Marci.”

“Thanks – I’ll see you next week.”

Summer camp starts the following Monday, and men delivering lunches pull the van up to the curb right when I arrive. Perfect timing. The receptionist finishes up a phone call with Marci, who’s picking up a few last minute items. When she arrives, I ask, “Are you Marci?”

“That’s me.”

“Can I help you unload?”

“Hold the cart steady.”

While she unloads everything, once again, I explain what I’m doing. She likes the idea and invites me to set up inside (where there’s air conditioning). The kids finish up their lunches while I coordinate with the camp counselors. Each one has a mix of around seven elementary and middle school age kids for the day, and the groups rotate through to choose books. Within a twenty minute whirlwind, forty-two kids select books.

Deliveries to the Rocksprings Community Center are unlike any other because there are simply so many kids. After just two deliveries so far, fifty-seven books have been given away.

Click here to learn more about the history of public housing in Athens.

Broadacres

Just after pulling into Broadacres Homes around eleven thirty, a former student with a great big smile walking with a friend calls-out, “Hey Mr. Brooks!” I ask where lunches are distributed during the summer.

“Down the hill at The Rec.”

A familiar face is a good sign on the summer’s first delivery.

Lunches are distributed inside the community center, also called “The Rec.”

A white Athens Housing Authority van pulls up to the community center, then two men unload large plastic bins and carry them inside. The containers are filled with lunches Athens residents can pick up between noon and one.

This Athens Housing Authority van delivers lunches to sites all over town.

A handful of folks peer out of their windows and doors as the Bibliobike gets set up. Two women walking toward the community center are the first to ask what this is all about. After browsing, both choose Dr. Seuss books for grand-kids. Next, a first grader leading her lunch-coated baby brother by the hand emerges from the building and heads toward the rig. They immediately snatch two books with Elmo on the cover. Another first grader points to the large face on the cover of a Nelson Mandela biography and asks her great-aunt, “Who’s that?”

Yes, she wants the Mandela book, I think to myself.

“You’ll learn about him in time. Get something you know about,” the woman responds sternly.

The curious reader chooses Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Green Eggs and Ham.

0001RH — A new chalkboard on top of the rig reads, “Free Books.”

Location, Location…

Logically, turnout last year was sporadic when the temperature hovered in the upper nineties or higher. Some days, two sweaty kids braved the heat for books. On milder afternoons, many more walked away with summer reads. So the haunting question throughout this year has been how to give away more books.

When homeroom teachers around Clarke County were given the Summer Food Service Program flyers to send home before school let out, the issue of low turnout during Bibliobike deliveries was potentially solved. The plan is to arrive when lunches are being distributed. Before or after kids and families get their meals, they will also be able to grab some books.

I toured the Broadacres, Rocksprings and Lay Park neighborhoods on May fifth to get a feel for resident density and find routes that minimize the number of hills. I snapped some photos, and if the ones above are any indication of the need for books in these communities, it’s going to be a successful summer.

Mutual Aid Across County Lines

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Linda Schroeder is an integral part of the Oconee Area Resource Council, a 501 (C) (3) non-profit providing food for families in need year-round, in addition to offering mentoring services to K-12 students throughout Oconee County. In Linda’s words, “We are one full time and two half time staffers. We have a good number of volunteers and a supportive board, and that’s how we are able to get a lot done.”

Linda’s serendipitous email last week couldn’t have been more timely, as the process of organizing this summer’s books had just begun. She offered to donate a large collection of used children’s books already sorted by by age, which will save a significant amount of energy when it’s time to load up the Bibliobike in a few weeks. It took two trips to transport the collection, which now occupies a considerable amount of space at the house.

Many thanks to Linda for reaching out, and to everyone working to help folks in need. When we commit to the well-being of others, it’s curious how quickly compassion spreads.

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Classroom Library

Protected from winter elements, the rig’s now a curious part of our classroom library (the most frequented section by this year’s crew of graphica fanatics), where it houses a growing collection of graphic novels, comics, zines and DIY books.

Thanks again to everyone for contributing time and money, and to those who continue donating books for next summer’s deliveries. Please keep them coming.

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Conversations About Books

Here’s a flyer that will be distributed to families during Bibliobike visits for the duration of the summer (thanks again to Tobie Bass for translation help).

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Conversations About Books

During reading or after reading a book, it is important for an adult (or older child) to talk with the child about the book. Below are some examples of questions to use during a conversation about a book. Children should try to answer in complete sentences.

Adult: What is this book about?

Child: This book is about…

Adult: What did you like about this book?

Child: I liked…

Adult: Why did this (event) happen in the book?

Child: That happened because…

Adult: What will happen after that?

Child: After that,…

Adult: How do you know what happened?

Child: I know what happened because…

Adult: Why did the character behave like that?

Child: The character behaved like that because…

Adult: What would you have done?

Child: I would have…

Adult: Did you ever do something like that?

Child: I did something similar when…

Or, I never did anything like that.

Adult: How did it make you feel?

Child: It made me feel…

Adult: How would you feel if that happened to you?

Child: If that happened to me, I would feel…

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Conversaciones Sobre Los Libros

Mientras o después de leer un libro, es importante que un adulto (o niño más grande) hable con el niño sobre el libro. Abajo hay unos ejemplos de preguntas para usar durante una conversación sobre un libro. Los niños deben tratar de contestar en frases completas.

Adulto: ¿De qué se trata este libro?

Niño: Este libro se trata de…

Adulto: ¿Qué te gustó de este libro?

Niño: Me gustó…

Adulto: ¿Por qué pasó (un evento) en el libro?

Niño: Pasó porque…

Adulto: ¿Qué sucederá después?

Niño: Después…

Adulto: ¿Cómo podrías saber qué pasó?

Niño: Yo sé qué pasó porque…

Adulto: ¿Por qué el personaje se comportó en esa forma?

Niño: El personaje se comportó en esa forma porque…

Adulto: ¿Qué hubieras hecho?

Niño: Yo hubiera…

Adulto: ¿Alguna vez hiciste algo parecido?

Niño: Hice algo parecido cuando…

o (Nunca hice algo así.)

Adulto: ¿Cómo te hizo sentir?

Niño: Me hizo sentir…

Adulto: ¿Cómo te haría sentir si a tí te hubiera pasado…?

Niño: Si eso me pasara a mi, me haría sentir…