Books Can Change Lives

BOOKS CAN CHANGE LIVES Literacy Support in our Communities

By HOLLY DODGE

Parents want nothing more than for their children to be happy, healthy, and successful in life. Research consistently demonstrates that early childhood literacy is crucial for a child’s academic success and emotional well-being. Before a baby can even begin to talk, the roots of language are developing. It is important for parents and caretakers to read to children as soon as possible.

High-quality educational books can increase a child’s vocabulary, comprehension, and language skills, providing critical support in preparing children for school.

However, the resources to support literacy and language development can be dependent upon circumstance and not all families may have the same access to books. That’s where the Greater Mankato Area United Way steps in to help provide knowledge and resources to families so they can begin to foster and support early literacy habits at home on a consistent basis. The organization has many programs to support early readers.

Reading Festival

For the past eleven years, the Greater Mankato Area United Way, in partnership with Capstone Publishing, has hosted an Annual Reading Festival for pre-K to 3rd graders to promote reading and literacy skills among youth. The widely attended event is hosted at the Mankato Family YMCA and allows families and youth to take complimentary youth books in an effort to promote literacy. The expo-style event also hosts a multitude of additional activities and resources that may benefit families.

Books for Kids

“Books for Kids” is another initiative of the Greater Mankato Area United Way. It is a program designed to instill the joy of reading in children by providing free books and parenting resources to families in Blue Earth, Nicollet, Le Sueur, and Nicollet Counties. The free-of-cost program, which began in 1997, has helped build children’s home libraries, encourage literacy skills, and foster school readiness. Again, Capstone Publishing, partners with the organization and donates thousands of books every other month, which are subsequently distributed via mail to children ages two months through four years. Several hundred books are also distributed via community outreach events such as Project Community Connect and Mankato Public Schools Early Childhood Screening program. In 2023 alone, Books for Kids distributed nearly 30,000 books to children in our region.

The Kindness Booth

The partnership with Capstone Publishing and the Greater Mankato Area United Way has remained strong, and in 2024, Capstone published the children’s book, The Kindness Booth, to support the Greater Mankato Area United Way’s initiatives of learning and literacy. The picture book, geared towards Pre-K to 2nd grades was written by Laura Murray and illustrated by Andrea Boatta.

The story focuses on young Mya, who wakes up on a gloomy day and asks her grandpa how she could make the day brighter. His simple response puts Mya into motion, and together with her little brother, Oliver, and neighbor, Addie, she opens the kindness booth. Their plan? Help spread some sunshine to her apartment complex by helping them throughout the day. But what happens when Mya’s booth gets rained out?

The uplifting book, full of colorful illustrations, teaches children the importance of being kind to one another and how one nice deed can spread to others. Capstone Publishing donated paperback copies to all first graders in their service area. Barb Kaus, CEO of the Greater Mankato Area United Way shares, “With United Way’s focus on childhood literacy and development, I have had the long-time goal of releasing our own picture book. This book has a beautiful message centered on kindness, which is foundational at every age. We are thrilled to partner with Capstone on this initiative and can’t wait to see this book in the hands of children throughout our region and beyond.”