Bring on the Books!
I’m a little more than halfway through my Peace Corps
adventure and I would like to ask you to become a big part of it. Inspired by a
fellow Peace Corps Volunteer (thanks Emily Spiegel) and the contagious energy of
my students, I’m asking for your help to make a positive change in my school.
Part of my job as an Education Peace Corps Volunteer is to promote early grade
reading and literacy at my school. Unfortunately, my school library lacks a variety
of books and therefore students do not visit the library. It’s difficult to
create a culture of reading when there are no books to read. It’s certainly not
an easy problem to fix but with your help we can do it.
How Can I Help?
First, thank you for asking J.
Before I explain, let me tell you a little
bit about Better World Books. Better World Books is a global bookstore with a
mission to harnesses the power of capitalism to bring literacy and opportunity
to people around the world. They collect donated books and distribute them to
areas in need. Their website www.betterworldbooks.com
will be our vehicle for change. All you need to do is purchase a book from
their website and type in my address as the delivery address. The best part
about Better World Books is that they offer free shipping! Shipping costs are usually half the battle. Many
well intentioned people are sent running once they lay their eyes on the
outrages fees associated with international shipping. I’m happy to finally say that
beast is dead. With Better World Books, shipping fees are no longer a problem.
Instructions for Purchasing Books
1) Choose a book (or as many as you like) from my wish list
(posted below).
2) Go to www.betterworldbooks.com and use the search bar to
find the book(s) of your choice. If applicable, choose the cheapest, used
option. Please put the shipping address as…
Name: Arthur Gary
Address Line 1: P.O. Box 36
City: Chagni
Province: Amhara (there is no postal code)
Country: Ethiopia
*Note shipping is
free!
3) Send me an email at ajgary22@gmail.com indicating which
book(s) you purchased so I can update the list for others.
4) Keep your eyes peeled for a thank-you email and pictures
of my students on my blog (coming soon)
Book Wish List
Children’s Books (This list was created using book
recommendations from several reliable websites. If you would like to donate a
book that is not on the list and you feel that it’s appropriate for primary level EFL students, please feel free to send it our way).
Bernstein Bears Series
Bark, George
Big Red Lollipop
Blackout
Chato’s Kitchen
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Dear Zoo: A Lift-The-Flap Book
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the
Bus!
Dogger
First 100 Words (picture book)
First Thousand Words in English
Freight Train
George and Martha
Giraffes Can't Dance
Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction
Site
Good Night, Gorilla
Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
The Giving Tree
Have You Filled a Bucket Today? A
Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids
Holes
Horton Hatches the Egg
Horton Hears a Who
How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?
Hi! Fly Guy
Huggy Kissy
I Took the Moon for a Walk
If you give a Mouse a Cookie
If you give a Pig a Pancake
Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale
Leaves by David Ezra Stein
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse
Little Blue Truck
Little White Rabbit
Living Sunlight
Llama Llama Red Pajama
Madeline
Make Way For Ducklings
Martin’s Big Words
Math Curse
Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for
Kindergarten
My Name is Yoon
My New Baby
Moo, Baa, La La La
Mouse Paint
Mr. Popper’s Penguins
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An
African Tale
My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother
No, David!
No No Yes Yes
Oh, the Places You’ll Go
Olivia and the Fairy Princesses
One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue
Fish
Pat the Bunny
Peek-a Who?
Press Here by Herve Tullet
Sarah, Plain and Tall
Shapes, Shapes, Shapes by Tana
Hoban
Sleep Like a Tiger
Strega Nona
Swimmy
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
Sylvia Long’s Mother Goose
Taxi Dog
Tea with Milk
The Arrival
The Art Lesson by Tomie dePaola
The Dark by Lemony Snicket
The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?
The Elephant and the Bad Baby
The Foot Book: Dr. Seuss's Wacky
Book of Opposites
The Little Prince
The Trumpet of the Swan
The BFG
The Dot
The House at Pooh Corner
The Lion and the Mouse
The Magic School Bus at the
Waterworks
The Mitten
The Mixed-Up Chameleon
The Napping House
The Odd Egg
The Runaway Bunny
The Shape of My Heart
The Sheep-Pig by Dick King-Smith
The Story of Ferdinand
The Tale of Peter Rabbit
The Three Little Pigs
The True Story of the Three Little
Pigs
The Wind in the Willows
The Wonky Donkey
This is Not My Hat
The Snowy Day
There Was an Old Lady
Up, Tall and High!
What Do People Do All Day?
What Do You Do With a Tail Like
This?
What's Under The Sea?
Where the Wild Things Are
Where Is the Green Sheep?
Why Do Tigers Have Stripes? by
Mike Unwin
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
Whoever You Are
Would you Rather… by John Burningham
Would You Rather Be a Bullfrog?
Zen Shorts
26 Letters and 99 Cents by Tana
Hoban
Additional Resources
(Most of the English teachers at my school do not have access to English
language resource books. My English teachers need reference books and guides to
assist them in teaching their students and to continue their own English learning.
The following list of books would help my English teachers provide students
with a sturdier English language education.
Games in Teaching English as a Foreign Language by: Nomi Kun
Teaching Grammar by: Jim Scrivener
The ESL/ELL Teacher’s Survival Guide: Ready-to-Use Strategies, Tools, and Activities for Teaching English Language Learners of All Levels
The Good Grammar Book: A Grammar Practice Book for Elementary to Lower-Intermediate Students of English
Grammar Games: Cognitive, Affective and Drama Activities for EFL Students
The Power Of Books
“What a miracle it is that out of these small, flat, rigid
squares of paper unfolds world after world after world, worlds that sing to you,
comfort and quiet or excite you. Books help us understand who we are and how we
are to behave. They show us what community and friendship mean; they show us
how to live and die.” — Anne Lamott
“A book, too, can be a star, a living fire to lighten the darkness,
leading out into the expanding universe.” — Madeleine L’Engle
"There are many little ways to enlarge your child's
world. Love of books is the best of all."
— Jacqueline Kennedy
"The more that you read, the more things you will know.
The more you learn, the more places you'll go."
- — Dr. Seuss, "I Can Read With My Eyes Shut!"
