Building Home Libraries, One Book at a Time: A Summer and Fall of Giving 📚❤️
Updated: Oct 14
At Reading With Mrs. Richardson, we believe every child deserves the opportunity to experience the joy of owning a brand-new book. Not just borrowing one from a classroom or library, but having a book of their very own to read, treasure, and revisit whenever they choose.
Over the summer and into the fall, we've continued turning that belief into action by placing hundreds of new books directly into the hands of children and families throughout Memphis and Shelby County.
And thanks to our community partners, we've been able to meet families right where they are.
A Summer Filled With Stories ☀️📖
This summer, Reading With Mrs. Richardson distributed approximately 1,000 new books to children and families through community events, partnerships, and literacy outreach.
Each book represents an opportunity for a child to discover a new character, explore a different world, strengthen reading skills, or simply develop a love for reading.
We are intentional about the books we select. Our organization provides new books by diverse authors, carefully choosing stories that reflect the identities, cultures, experiences, and interests of the children we serve.
Representation matters. Children deserve to see themselves reflected in the stories they read while also learning about people and experiences different from their own.
Our goal is to help families build home libraries that encourage reading long after a community event ends.
Continuing Our Partnership With Sweet Cheeks Diaper Ministry 💕📚
In October, we continued our longstanding partnership with Sweet Cheeks Diaper Ministry by distributing 235 new books to children and families during its community diaper giveaway.
Sweet Cheeks does incredible work supporting families by providing essential baby supplies and resources. Through our partnership, we're able to add another important resource: access to books.
As parents receive diapers and other necessities, their children have an opportunity to select books to take home and enjoy.
We recognize that families facing financial challenges may have to prioritize everyday necessities over purchasing books. That's why partnerships like this matter.
Books should never be considered a luxury.
By combining family support services with literacy outreach, we're helping parents nurture their children's development while encouraging reading as a regular part of family life.
We're grateful to Sweet Cheeks Diaper Ministry for continuing to welcome us into this important work.
Bringing Books to North Memphis at Hope City's Community Fall Festival 🍂🎉
Our fall literacy outreach also took us to North Memphis for Hope City's Community Fall Festival, where Reading With Mrs. Richardson distributed 350 new books to children in attendance.
It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with families, celebrate community, and encourage young readers.
Each child received three new books to take home, helping them begin or expand their personal book collection.
For some children, receiving a new book is an exciting experience. They get to choose a story that interests them, turn the pages for the first time, and know that the book belongs to them.
That's the kind of excitement we want to create around reading.
We believe literacy should be joyful, engaging, and accessible. Community festivals allow us to connect with children outside traditional classrooms and remind families that reading can happen anywhere.
Thank you to Hope City for inviting us to be part of this special celebration in North Memphis.
More Than Books: Building a Culture of Reading 🌱
At Reading With Mrs. Richardson, our work goes beyond distributing books.
We want children to become confident readers, curious learners, and young people who recognize the power of their own voices.
Through literacy instruction, creative arts, family engagement, and community partnerships, we're working to make reading an experience children look forward to.
Every book we distribute is another opportunity to support that mission.
And every family we reach reminds us why this work is so important.
📚 Bringing Books to Students in South Memphis
For students at Circles of Success Learning Academy in South Memphis, access to books is especially important because the school does not currently have an operating library.
Through our ongoing partnership, Reading With Mrs. Richardson has provided students with brand-new, diverse books to take home and enjoy, helping fill an important gap in access to reading materials.
We believe every child deserves the opportunity to discover the joy of reading, regardless of whether their school has a functioning library. That's why we're committed to putting books directly into children's hands and helping families build home libraries of their own.
A school without an operating library shouldn't mean a child goes without books. ❤️📖
Our work at Circles of Success Learning Academy is another reminder of why community partnerships and book access programs matter. Every new book is an opportunity to spark curiosity, strengthen literacy skills, and inspire a lifelong love of reading.
Help Us Turn the Next Page ❤️
As we continue serving children throughout Memphis, Shelby County, and eventually more rural communities across our region, we remain committed to expanding access to new books and meaningful literacy experiences.
We're especially grateful to the donors, grantmakers, volunteers, and community organizations that help make our work possible.
Your generosity helps us place new books into children's hands and build home libraries, one family at a time.
Want to help us keep the pages turning?
Support Reading With Mrs. Richardson by making a donation, sponsoring a book distribution, or partnering with us to bring literacy resources to more children.
Together, we can help raise the next generation of confident, enthusiastic readers.
Read Mane! 📚❤️
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