Every child deserves the opportunity to discover a book they love. Whether it's a funny story, an exciting adventure, a fascinating nonfiction book, or a favorite series, having books available helps children explore new interests and develop a lifelong love of reading.
But book access shouldn't stop when the school day ends or when students leave for winter break, spring break, or summer vacation. Creating opportunities for students to find and enjoy books throughout the year takes planning, creativity, and a community working together.
Creating equitable book access for low-income children is especially important. Schools can help by providing opportunities for every student to discover and take home books they love, regardless of their family's ability to purchase them.
School librarians, teachers, administrators, families, PTO/PTA leaders, and community partners can all play a role. From school book fairs and children's book donations to classroom libraries, digital collections, and summer reading programs, there are many ways to keep books in students' hands.
One way to approach this is through the four seasons. Each season brings new opportunities to connect students with books and keep reading part of their everyday lives.
Fall: Start the Year With Books
Fall is a wonderful time to build excitement around reading and make sure students have access to books as a new school year begins.
School book fairs introduce students to new titles, authors, and series while giving them opportunities to build their home libraries. They also create opportunities for families and community members to support classroom and school collections.
Here are a few ways to expand book access during the fall:
Host a School Book Fair: Give students and families opportunities to explore and purchase books they are excited to read. Hosting a Literati Book Fair can also support school fundraising efforts.
Create and Share an Epic! Collection. I create a special collection of eBooks, videos, and audio books each month for our students. I share these with our teachers to share with families at home too. You will find my November Epic! Collection here. It will tell you how to do this for your readers.
Refresh Classroom Libraries: Add new and donated books to classroom collections, reading corners, and book baskets.
Organize Book Donations: Invite families, staff, and community members to contribute new or gently used children's books.
Start a Reading Challenge: Encourage students to explore different genres, authors, and topics. We use Beanstack and Epic Books for reading challenges throughout the year.
Partner with your public library to offer a family reading event. I always invite our public librarian to our fall book fair and conferences to make sure all of the students and families know about the programs they offer and get their public library card.
At Van Meter CSD, our Literati Book Fairs are a very special part of our school community. We also create Teacher Wishlist Trail Maps with QR codes, making it easy for families and community members to shop for books selected by our teachers. These wishlists provide another way to add books to classroom libraries and support readers in every classroom.
Online ordering also makes it easier for families and community members to support school libraries and classrooms. Through digital book fair shopping and online teacher wishlists, people can purchase books even when they cannot attend the fair in person.
Fall is also a great time to begin planning for winter break and other times students will be away from school.
Winter: Keep Reading During Winter Break
Before winter break begins, consider offering students opportunities to choose books to take home. These might come from the school library, classroom collections, book donations, or a special winter book giveaway.
A few ways to keep books accessible during the winter include:
Winter Book Giveaways: Invite students to select a free book to keep and enjoy during break.
Take-Home Reading Bags: Put together small collections of books for students to share with their families.
Holiday Book Collections: Create displays featuring winter stories, holiday books, graphic novels, and seasonal favorites.
Community Partnerships: Work with local businesses and organizations to collect or purchase books for students.
Digital Reading Opportunities: Share links and directions for accessing eBooks and digital libraries from home. I also put together a Holiday Around the World eBook collection to share with our students and families.
Host a Stuffie Sleepover or Other Holiday Event With Your Public Library. This is such a fun way to connect with your public library during the holidays! Kids can bring their favorite stuffie to the library for a special sleepover. The stuffies get to spend the night exploring the library, reading books, playing, and going on little adventures.
The best part? Kids love coming back to see photos of all the things their stuffies did while they were there! It is a wonderful way to build excitement around reading, create special memories, and encourage families to visit and connect with their public library.
Digital collections are especially helpful during school breaks. At Van Meter, our Virtual BOOKHUB gives students and teachers access to monthly Capstone eBook choice boards featuring books connected to holidays, seasons, and topics. We also share access to Capstone Interactive and Destiny Discover so students can continue exploring books digitally.
Sharing these resources with families before winter break helps students know where to find books even when the school library is closed.
Spring: Celebrate Reading and Prepare for Breaks
Spring brings new opportunities to celebrate reading while preparing students for spring break and summer vacation.
A spring book fair is a wonderful way to introduce students to new books before the school year ends. Like fall fairs, these events help students build their home libraries while giving families and community members opportunities to support classroom collections.
Other ideas for spring include:
Spring Break Reading Bags: Put together small collections of books for students to take home.
Book Drives: Collect new or gently used children's books for classrooms, school giveaways, or community distribution.
Family Literacy Events: Invite families to explore books, participate in reading activities, and take home books.
Reading Celebrations: Connect activities with Read Across America, National Library Week, and other literacy celebrations.
Summer Reading Preparation: Share information about public library programs, summer reading challenges, and community book opportunities.
Spring Break Choice Board: I create a choice board filled with places for our students to move, create, read, play, and visit.
Spring is also a good time to review your school's book access efforts. What worked well during the year? Which classroom collections need refreshing? What opportunities could help students take books home for the summer?
Summer: Keep the Reading Going!
Summer is one of the most important times to think about year-round book access. Without regular access to school libraries and classroom collections, some students may have fewer opportunities to find books they enjoy.
Schools can help by connecting students with books before summer vacation and sharing opportunities available in their communities.
Consider these ideas:
Summer Reading Literati Book Fair: We always have a Literati Book Fair right before school gets out to support and promote summer reading.
The theme for the Spring 2027 is Go For Gold! I am really excited to create a fun start of the summer experience for our students and families with this Literati Book Fair. You can find out more here.
Summer Book Giveaways: Allow students to choose books to take home and keep.
Public Library Partnerships: Share information about local library locations, summer reading programs, and special events.
Community Book Distributions: Partner with local businesses, nonprofits, and community organizations to provide free books for kids.
Summer Reading Challenges: Create fun, flexible challenges that encourage students to read books they enjoy.
Little Free Libraries: Support neighborhood book-sharing locations where families can find books throughout the summer.
Digital Libraries: Share links to school-approved eBook collections students can access outside the school building.
Summer Learning Programs: Include books and reading opportunities in camps and community activities.
Remember that summer reading should include plenty of choices. Some students may love graphic novels, while others enjoy picture books, sports stories, mysteries, nonfiction, or chapter book series. Giving students opportunities to select books that match their interests makes reading more inviting.
Every Season, Every Student, Every Story
Creating year-round book access doesn't have to happen through one big program or initiative. Often, it is the collection of small, thoughtful opportunities throughout the year that make the biggest difference. A book fair, a take-home reading bag, a classroom book collection, a community book drive, or a connection with the public library can each help put more books within reach of students.
The most successful efforts happen when schools and communities work together. School librarians, teachers, principals, families, PTO/PTA leaders, local organizations, and literacy partners each bring ideas, resources, and opportunities that can help more children access books.
As you plan for the year ahead, think about what you can start, strengthen, or share in your own school community. Look at each season as another opportunity to bring books to children and make reading a visible, celebrated part of everyday life.
When we work together to make books accessible all year long, we give students more opportunities to read, explore, discover, and grow—wherever the seasons take them.
