Lindbergh Elementary students who received free books say reading changed everything for them

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — KSHB 41 reporter Rachel Henderson covers neighborhoods in Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties. Share your story idea with Rachel.

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KSHB 41 revisited Lindbergh Elementary on Thursday to check in with students who participated in the "If You Give a Child a Book" campaign, which is currently in effect.

Lindbergh Elementary in Wyandotte County is a Title 1 school, which means the majority of its students come from homes where the average income falls below federal poverty guidelines.

It is one of the schools selected to receive free books through the "If You Give a Child a Book" campaign, a partnership between KSHB 41 News, the Scripps Howard Fund and Scholastic Books.

Research shows that students in low-income households often struggle with literacy, but when students own and read books at home, it improves their literacy and increases their academic success.

The "If You Give a Child a Book" campaign works to reverse that trend.

Scripps News Buffalo

KSHB 41 has invited viewers and staff to donate money to purchase new books for students in need in the Kansas City area.

Those books were purchased at a discounted rate through Scholastic Books, and then distributed to Lindbergh students at a yearly book fair.

In the first year of the campaign, every student received a copy of "Harry Potter."

The second year, "Dog Man" visited classrooms and handed out free books in addition to the fair.

Fourth grade teacher Allison Lewis started at Lindbergh the first year the campaign came to the school.

Chris Morrison/KSHB 41

Lewis said many of her students don't have easy access to books at home.

"I don't know that a lot of the students have the resources to be able to get books on their own, and when they've (been) given to them, it gives them more opportunities to read, and it gives them the choice of whatever books they want, so they're able to pick books that really interest them," Lewis said.

Fourth grader Ameir Mayfield said the campaign has had a lasting impact on him.

Chris Morrison/KSHB 41

"It was the best day of my life ever since I got those books,” Mayfield said. “Thanks to Scholastic, they helped me find my way to dream.”

Mayfield was slightly below grade level when Lewis first taught him in third grade.

“A lot of people used to bully me because some people called me 'nerd,' some people called me a lot of things, but now they can’t do that because now I’m here,” Mayfield said. “And now, I’m in fourth grade by Ms. Lewis. She’s been teaching me a lot of things that I never knew about. She’s been nice to me all my life, ever since I met her.”

Lewis has seen a dramatic turnaround in Mayfield's second year with her.

"He is now an independent reader,” Lewis said. “He is always looking for more and more ways to expand his knowledge and his vocabulary.”

Fifth grader Ahri Moua, one of the top readers in her class, said she has attended the school since third grade.

Chris Morrison/KSHB 41

"The reason why I'm fast at reading is because how much focus and hard work I put into it," Moua said. “I like the books with no pictures, mostly because sometimes I turned the words into imagination into my head — like something’s going on in my brain.”

Lewis said reading is the foundation for everything else students learn.

"Everything comes back to reading, even math and everything. Once you open up those skills to them to be able to read, it kind of opens up a whole world for them of knowledge," Lewis said.

Moua and Mayfield know all too well about creating your own world through reading.

“You always gotta make imagination,” Mayfield said. “‘Cause imagination is the way for you to believe in yourself no matter what happens, just believe in yourself.

You can donate to the campaign year-round.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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