I AM A TRUCK, TOO
We need your help to buy and renovate a super-cool truck, sharing our unique way of supporting early literacy and childhood development. From private group classes to drop-in activities at child friendly businesses and local parks, birthday parties and a specially curated selection of books to BUY, BORROW or GIVE, we are excited to expand our outreach to a broader range of communities.
At our weekly, pop up interactive, family STORY TIME events, we will bring books to life through movement, instrument and parachute play, crafts and much more!
"Reading aloud to young children, particularly in an engaging manner, promotes emerging literacy and language development and supports the relationship between child and parent,” stated a review in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
In other words, our story time activities won’t only entertain your child, but also develop vocabulary, improve the ability to learn to read, and - perhaps most important - foster a lifelong love of books, reading and learning.
Graphic by our friends at www.readaloud.org
Aboard the truck, families will have the opportunity to BUY from a curated selection of books, BORROW (receive a bag with three books to enjoy for the month then locate us at a near-by pop up the next month to trade for the new picks, cookies and other treats) or GIVE (a 10% fee of books bought and borrowed will go towards books to give children from low-income families the opportunity to read, own and create their own libraries).
Eventually, my goal is to also create a non-profit component to this mobile venture. BOOKS AND COOKIES GIVES will bring the special early literacy work that we do to underserved communities. Our mission is to build community and promote a lifelong love of learning, by providing greater access to books, story time, and educational play.
WHAT WE NEED TO GET ROLLING
We are raising $30,000 via this campaign to pay for the purchase of a vintage ice-cream type truck with renovated engine, so we will not only arrive to your event in style, but also safely (and smog free)! Your contributions will go directly towards the purchase and renovation of the truck, city permits and fees, insurance, staffing and stocking books... and cookies, too! We plan to hit the ground running in 2018 and launch the new truck by National BookMobile Day (Can you believe that is an actual day on the calendar?) on April 12, 2018!
BookMobiles actually have a long history dating back to the 1850s, when a horse-drawn collection of books began making the rounds in England. In the United States, the first bookmobile hit the streets in Maryland in 1905. The idea is largely attributed to librarian, Mary Lemist Titcomb and I am so inspired by her belief that a her book wagon was a way for rural residents to have access to books, but also “do much more in cementing friendships.” Read more on our blog!
If we raise more than our goal, please know that your money will go towards good use! Extra funds will be allocated to building the non-profit venture BOOKS AND COOKIES GIVES.
HELLO – HOLA – CIAO – SHALOM – BONJOUR – KONICHIWA – WOOF
BOOKS AND COOKIES has been integral part of the Santa Monica, Main Street community since 2011. Not just a children’s bookstore, our passionate staff has read, sang, learned and played with families who have become friends. We have shared our love of reading and our favorite books (i.e. I Like Myself and Pete The Cat) and celebrated countless birthdays with books and cookies (and cake)! Although it is hard to bid this physical location farewell, we look positively towards these next steps knowing that it’s not the walls that make Books and Cookies special, but the community of families we've built, unique enrichment programming, hands-on book exploration, family-oriented events and the joy we share in your children's smiles.
Owner and Books and Cookies Creator, CHUDNEY ROSS is a Writer, Teacher, Entrepreneur and most importantly, a Mom. After graduating Georgetown University, she became a teacher with AmeriCorps's Teach for America program. After years of teaching elementary school, Chudney's love of children's literature and her advocacy for children's causes motivated her to open Books and Cookies. Her hope was, and is, to create a positive and fun-filled learning environment that is not only kid-friendly, but adult-friendly; to be a welcoming space for families by offering enriching activities and to be an active and positive part of the community while promoting the joy of literacy! Her love of books also led her to write a middle grade children’s book called LONE BEAN, which was published by HarperCollins in 2012. Her daughter Callaway is 5 years old and loves books… and cookies, too!
OUR THANK YOU
Your contribution to this campaign allows us to get rolling and we have tons of perks that we can’t wait to share with you! Explore them on the right side of the page… but most importantly, by supporting our campaign, you are saying YES to the importance of literacy and learning, reading aloud and keeping the love of (actual print) books and bookstores alive!
OTHER WAYS YOUR CAN HELP
Love what we do? Please help us spread the word about this campaign with your family and friends, baby group and preschool class! We are super excited for these next steps and the more support the better! You can use the Indiegogo share tools below to make it easy to share on your social media!
We are so very grateful for your love and support and we look positively to these next steps with you aboard the BOOKS AND COOKIES MOBILE!