More than 85,000 books will be sent home with Irving ISD students this week as part of the annual summer reading initiative. Students in PreK through seventh grade will receive a bundle of on-level, highly-rated books to add to their at-home library.
The books going home with students include in-demand titles like “The Gruffalo” by Julia Donaldson for PreK students, “Dog Man” by Dav Pilkey for second-grade students, and “Dear Justice League” by Michael Northrop for sixth graders.
“The books being distributed this year are high-interest titles that get circulated in my library so much that they start to fall apart,” says Erika Rocha, librarian at Stipes Elementary School. “These books have endured time, and everyone will enjoy them, even parents.”
These book bundles are just one of the creative ways the district is continuing to foster students’ love of reading while they are out of school for the summer. Instilling a love of learning – and reading – in every student is at the core of the district’s mission, and something Library Services Coordinator Judy Boone takes to heart.
“We strive to instill a love of learning and reading in our community,” says Boone. “Studies demonstrate that when students read and enjoy reading, they become more empathetic citizens, gain more content knowledge and increase their language and vocabulary skills. All of these are factors in future career and life success.”
Beyond the book bundles distributed this week, the Library Services team will host several pop-up libraries over the summer to provide additional free, high-quality books for Irving ISD families. These summer resources top off an overflowing list of literary resources available to Irving ISD students and families – all for free.
Resources include a plethora of ebook and magazine platforms like Sora and Bookflix, learning databases like DiscoveryEducation, and many more resources to keep students engaged in learning during the summer.
“We are committed to providing constant access to high-quality print and digital resources to our students,” says Boone. “What makes Irving ISD unique is that we increase student access to resources by providing free books for their home libraries, and we jumpstart their summer reading journey with the take-home book bundle.”
To learn more about the free learning resources available to Irving ISD families, visit IrvingISD.net/SummerReading.
