"I like to read:" Students in Milwaukee work to develop their own home libraries

Students in Milwaukee work to develop their own home libraries

Students in Milwaukee work to develop their own home libraries

MILWAUKEE -- Hundreds of Milwaukee Public Schools students are embarking on an ambitious project to develop their own home libraries. And they're getting a good start thanks to a new literacy program -- which continues to grow.

On Wednesday, May 25th, students at Milwaukee's Auer School gathered to celebrate the end of the school year with a bunch of books.

"I like to read," said Naja Lee.

So too does Newberry-award winning author, Kirby Larson, who joined the group as they continued the process of selecting several free books to take home -- where they're encouraged to start their very own libraries.

It's part of a year-long program which includes a total of 10 MPS schools and more than 34,000 donated books.

The books have arrived as the result of a collaborative effort involving Milwaukee Public Schools, Scholastic Book Fairs, The United Way and a literacy initiative called "My Very Own Library."

"They can take these libraries home with them today," said MPS Superintendent Darienne Driver. "We want to be able to get this to all the elementary schools in MPS.

Driver said Milwaukee is fortunate to be one of six communities selected to participate in the program.

"Reading really takes you places that you could never even imagine, and being able to have the world at your fingertips, and say something is your own, really is important for our kids," said Driver.

Driver said eventually she would like to expand the effort to include all of the district's elementary schools.

Program coordinators cite a recent Kids and Family Reading Report, which indicates 90 percent of kids between six and 17 years old say they are more likely to finish a book they picked out for themselves.