Brownies Donate Books

This past Saturday, members of Brownie Troop 61 -- consisting of third graders from South Orange and Maplewood -- sorted through piles of gently used books in the office of Children’s Aid and Family Services on South Orange Avenue. They stacked up piles for babies and toddlers, picture books for young kids, chapter books for beginning readers, and books for older children. Then, they arranged the books on the bright red bookcases that they had painted at their meeting the day before and stood back to admire their handiwork.

The troop had collected the books, repaired those that were worn out at librarian Arlean Lambert’s book hospital at the Marshall School library, and cut out, colored and glued labels inside all of the books. Now, any child that visits the Family and Children’s Aid Office can select and keep a book. Brownie parent volunteers will coordinate with Children’s Aid and Family Services to keep the bookshelves stocked.

Parents and Children’s Aid and Family Services staff celebrated the opening of the bookshelf with the troop. Refreshments were served and each of the girls was given a heart-shaped balloon.

The Bright Red Book Shelf began as a program of the Family Reading Partnership, in Ithaca, N.Y., 11 years ago. It has been successfully replicated in many communities throughout the country. As the Family Reading Partnership has said, “When children have books at home, they are at home with books.”