Updates

Fall Day of Caring Fall Day of Caring is a day that embraces and celebrates volunteerism through a day of service hosted by United Way for Greater Austin (UWATX). Corporate volunteer teams, individuals from the community, and organizations like BookSpring can participate. This year's Fall Day of Caring benefited members ...

For a young reader, having access to books is paramount. Research suggests that increasing the number of books available to students, especially at a young age, leads to higher reading scores and academic achievement overall. More books in the classroom and at home means a student has more to choose ...

Research confirms that families play an essential role in promoting early literacy. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, reading daily to young children helps their brain development (O’Keefe, 2014). Families can foster engagement while promoting early literacy! Reading together establishes a shared event in which stronger bonds develop between parents, ...

One question that’s top of mind to everyone who has a child in school or works in a school is: What do we need to be doing right now to help kids make it through this challenging time? Our friends at First Book, a national non-profit clearinghouse for books for ...

The Junior League of Austin (JLA) is donating $3,000 to BookSpring to grow our program staff. This generous grant will allow us to increase staffing in delivering our continuum of literacy programs throughout Central Texas. BookSpring is also proud to be a community project of The Junior League of Austin ...

By: María José Meneses, Originally published in Porch.com As children, we were told that reading is important, and many of us are among the millions of library users, audible subscribers, and bookstore shoppers. But exactly why is it important, and how do we convince kids of its inherent value? Well, like ...

Kids and families interested in reading and watching multicultural stories should check out the award-winning and educational publisher, The Trevor Romain Company. Co-founded in 2007 by South African children's author, TV personality, and speaker Trevor Romain, This publisher offers educators, counselors, caregivers, and families resources to become happier, healthier, and ...

BookSpring’s Volunteer Spotlight highlights our gratitude for the heroes behind the scenes. The Volunteer Spotlight is on Sheila Carver, a dedicated volunteer who loves kids and books! She has been volunteering with us since 2019. What is your volunteer role with BookSpring? What are some of the activities you have ...

By: Georgean and Paul Kyle, Travis Audubon  Travis Audubon honors devoted volunteer Anne Donovan with a BookSpring Flying Book Society membership. Today we celebrate Anne Donovan as a consummate educator and conservationist. We are thrilled to celebrate her legacy of service and education with a gift to BookSpring in her ...

Reading is the key to summer fun! With the vast world at children's fingertips with a turn of a page, kids can travel all summer long with some good books. Reading is a pivotal opportunity for children to have a fun and fulfilling summer. Here's why! Imagination and Entertainment Reading ...

BookSpring’s Volunteer Spotlight highlights our gratitude for the heroes behind the scenes. The Volunteer Spotlight is on Lili Cantu. Lili has contributed to the BookSpring mission for years as a staff member turned volunteer. What is your volunteer role with BookSpring? What are some of the activities you have helped ...

Check out these picture books to explore the theme "When I Grow Up" with kids ages 4-8. BookSpring volunteer Donovan Archer reviewed these books. Subscribe for more Children’s Books Reviews. I Used to Be the Baby By Robin Ballard “I used to be the baby, but now I am big.” ...

By Jayme Carrico Studies have found a child’s access to books plays a significant role in early childhood literacy. One recent study found that providing access to books, book giveaway programs encourage reading time between parents and children, increase a child’s overall interest in reading, and advances a child’s early ...

Join us for this very special BookSpring event! Who: Christy and Turk Pipkin of The Nobelity Project When: Thursday, April 22, 2021, 5 pm Where: via Zoom! RSVP, and we will email a private link to you. Donate & Register Guest Speakers Turk Pipkin Founder of The Nobelity Project, Turk Pipkin is an award-winning author, director, ...

Prashanth Shenoy began volunteering with us this past year. Having little access to books growing up in India inspired him to get involved with BookSpring. Prashanth is a devoted volunteer who assists with book pickups and deliveries. He is also helping with the mailing of BookSpring Direct book bundles to ...

Spring has sprung! It is time to stop and smell the roses. Check out these fun picture books to discover and learn about different types of flowers. BookSpring volunteer, Donovan Archer reviewed these books. Subscribe for more Children's Books Reviews. Look! Flower! by Stephanie Calmenson “Look! Flowers! They’re beautiful to ...

We are shining the spotlight on the founder of Community Helping Hands, Austin, TX, and Charity Links, Haley Meyer! Haley is a pro at connecting caring and giving individuals to meet the direct needs of multiple Austin nonprofits like us. What is your volunteering role with BookSpring?  I have been ...

The Kid Approved Series is a collection of book recommendations by kids for kids and their families. Kids share what they enjoyed reading the most and why these stories made an impact on them. Ramona by Beverly Cleary Review by  Ella L. (Gorzycki Middle School) When I was little, my ...

By Emily Ball Cicchini, Ph.D., Executive Director Let’s talk about Dr. Seuss! You may have heard that some of his books are being discontinued by their publishers. Some people are saying that this is censorship or something called "cancel culture." However, only six from his collection of 60 books are ...

Hosting a book drive is fun and easy to do! Over the years, we've discovered all the creative ways people collect books. In lieu of birthday or Christmas gifts, as part of a corporate competition among departments, or as part of classroom activity to teach philanthropy. We love them all! ...

BookSpring's Volunteer Spotlight highlights our gratitude for the heroes behind the scenes. This month the Volunteer Spotlight is on Austin Allies. Austin Allies was formed in November 2016 as a way for families to come together and give back to their community. The volunteer group strives to raise awareness in ...

By: AuntieCam, Guest Blogger  It is time to celebrate our love of books with books about love. As a proud “Auntie” to many children, I make it a point to shower them with books, particularly those that help them grow their emotional muscles, feel reassured that my love for them ...

This year, we encourage you to celebrate World Read Aloud Day with our special Community Storytime collection. These are read-alouds from our extraordinary volunteers who want to share their love of reading with our community. Sit back and enjoy these stories anytime! Don't forget reading books has tremendous benefits for ...

Our Partner Spotlight is on Foundation Communities! For over three years, we've collaborated with Foundation Communities to host family literacy events. These events were held for their after school and PreK-3 preschool programs. More than 1,000 children attend their free learning programs at their on-site Learning Centers. Through our partnership, ...

The accent was on HAPPY as we gathered together in the Fall with family and friends for the Happy Hour, an engaging virtual event with Authors Sarah Bird and David Rice. We raised $12,318 “with a little help from our friends,” enabling BookSpring to extend that critical lifeline of literacy ...

Share your love of reading through Book Reviews Do you love to share stories about the good books you've read lately?  If so, BookSpring invites you to become a volunteer book reviewer!  You can do this on video, or through a written blog post.  Both ways help share excitement and ...

By: Lorena Romo, Originally published in Porch.com A reading nook can be the perfect way to enjoy curling up with your favorite books! Read Lorena Romo's guest blog for some tips and tricks that will inspire you to craft a perfect reading nook. Why Create a Reading Nook? For those ...

Community Action of Central Texas has partnered with BookSpring since January 2019 to provide children and families with books throughout Hays County.  This month the partner spotlight is on Community Action of Central Texas. Check out Sandra Martell's guest blog below. Support provided in part by the Burdine Johnson Foundation. The ...

New ways of gifting "forever" books BookSpring has continued to deliver books through partnerships with elementary schools, childcare centers, and clinics throughout the pandemic.  In order to help reduce the COVID slide and keep young readers motivated, we are customizing the way we make our book distributions through our longstanding ...

By Emily Ball Cicchini, PhD Making Back To School Special This year back to school feels so strange for so many families.  The comforting routines and rituals we normally repeat this time of year, from purchasing school supplies to meeting the new teachers to getting back to a schedule of ...