St. Charles Bookstore's Foundation Puts Free, Author-Signed Books in Elementary Students' Hands

Main Street Books, an independent bookstore in St. Charles, has started a new effort aimed at improving literacy among elementary school-aged children. Through its Main Street Books Literacy Foundation, the store buys new books from authors and donates them to students at participating elementary schools in the city.

Ellen Hall, the foundation's president, said the response from children has been enthusiastic. "They loved it," she said, recalling that students were thrilled to receive a book and sent handmade thank-you cards. She said they were attentive and eager to ask questions about what they had received.

Hall, a retired science teacher, co-owns the bookstore with her husband, Andrew Hall, and their daughter, Emily Schroen. Schroen, who serves as the foundation's secretary, said the aim is to nurture a love of reading by letting children own their books. "The joy in the faces of the students when they receive a book signed by an author that they love is contagious," she said. She added that giving children their own copies is also a good way to make sure they physically read the book.

To date, the foundation has donated more than 300 books to students at two St. Charles schools. One of them is Central Elementary in the Francis Howell School District, where every fourth grader received a free copy of "Karl's New Beak" in December.

The book tells the true story of an Abyssinian ground hornbill that received a new beak thanks to a 3-D printer and the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. Each fourth-grade classroom at the school also received a replica of Karl's prosthetic beak. The replicas were made possible through a collaboration among the foundation, the Smithsonian and the St. Louis University Center for Additive Manufacturing.

Andrew Hall, a retired teacher who serves as the foundation's treasurer, said the three founders deliberately chose to concentrate on elementary students. "Catching these kids in grade school is kind of the most important place to do it," he said. He cited a statistic the family found: among children who are not reading at grade level by third grade, one in six does not graduate from high school.

Looking ahead, the foundation plans to donate 800 more books by next May and to broaden its reach. Schools and authors interested in taking part are encouraged to contact Main Street Books in St. Charles.

The foundation's work was the subject of a St. Louis on the Air conversation. The discussion covers why the foundation pairs books with events, which community partners it works with, and how book ownership among children can affect academic and other outcomes over time. The full episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube.