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September 11, 2014  |  By SOW_Admin In Special Posts

11 of Our Favorite Children’s Books!

Earlier this week was International Literacy Day and it’s also National Literacy Month – one of our favorite months of the year! Reading is something that we are very passionate about here at School on Wheels and we strive to share a love for literacy with our students every night during tutoring. We hope you love reading too! To help us celebrate this month, our staff and tutors have compiled a list of some of their favorite children’s books that they’d love to share with you:

there's a wocket say cheese and die where the sidewalk ends

Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan: This was my favorite book as a child because it was about someone named Sarah and she was tall. It was about a family living in the frontier out West and the mom had died, so the dad brings home a new wife, Sarah. The children dislike her at first, because she’s plain and tall, but by the end they love her very much. Classic tale of acceptance, understanding, family, and growth. ….but mostly, her name was Sarah and she was tall, like me. – Sarah, Project Manager

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein: Who doesn’t love funny poems about what happens when you don’t take the trash out? I read it to my kids! – Sally, Founder & CEO

The Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Warner: I loved the adventures that they would take and always wished I could go with them. The beauty of reading is the fact that you can travel with them in your mind. Looking back today, I think I was drawn to them because they were always creative with what they had and they always made good of something that was a sad situation. – Melissa, Salvation Army Barton Center Tutor

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume: I loved this story about Peter and his wild, mischievous, hilarious little brother, Fudge.  I have a little sister who is quite funny herself, so I could relate to some of the situations in which Peter and Fudge found themselves.  I was so excited when my own children recently read this book.  They enjoyed it, as well! – Karen, Director of Programs

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Siverstein: I loved this book because it was clever, with often sing-song rhymes (Ickle Me, Pickle Me, Tickle Me, too), with just enough touch of crude humor to amuse a kid.  I also loved the basic but often funny accompanying visuals.  There are poems that I still remember every line by heart that I could recite on command.  “Mama said I’d lose my head if it wasn’t fastened on…” – Erin, Program Manager

The Goosebumps Series by R. L. Stine: This was one of my favorite series growing up. I enjoyed the thrill they provided and at the time they were pretty scary.  My favorite from the series was Say Cheese and Die, where a kid finds a camera that produces photos of the person dying and then it came true. – Kurt, Wellspring Cottage Tutor

There’s a Wocket in my Pocket! by Dr. Seuss: My family and I just love the rhymes and the interesting names of the silly monsters hiding in the little boy’s house. – Laura, Vice President of Programs and Community Outreach

The Book of Giant Stories by David L. Harrison, illustrated by Philippe Fix: The stories were about Giants interacting with children, but the wonderful illustrations were what I remember most. They really fired up the imagination! – Greg, Wheeler Mission Center for Women and Children Tutor

The Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series by Betty McDonald: I loved, loved, loved reading as a kid. During summer break, my mom would often have to force me to go outside when my nose was stuck in a book for too long. One of my many favorites, and I almost hesitate to name one because I leave others out, was the Mrs. Piggle Wiggle series. She was a lively widow who lived in an upside down house and loved children. Bewildered parents called on her for help with bad habits and she provided them with unusual cures for such behaviors such as ‘won’t pick up toys’ and ‘slow eater tiny bite taker.’ In the end, the children always found it much better to change their behavior  – Kris, Program Assistant and MartH Coordinator

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and Superfudge by Judy Blume: These were both books I read and reread throughout early elementary school. I wanted Peter Hatcher to come out of the pages and be my partner in crime and adventure. We had so much in common! He was so annoyed by his little brother and I was so annoyed by my little brother (and sister). He was reeling from the news of having to move and I was experiencing trauma of a recent long distance move like only and 8-year-old could. It was also one of the first books that made me dream about moving to New York City – or any city, really. Living among Indiana cornfields and later in the woods of Northern Minnesota never prepared me for the adventures that could happen in the city, but Peter’s environment fascinated me and made me dream a little bigger.  – Claire, Grants and Communications Manager

Have You Filled A Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud: As a teacher, it is my responsibility to not only teach young minds but also create wonderful human beings. Have You Filled A Bucket Today? is a phenomenal resource filled with teachable moments. It’s a heartwarming book that encourages positive behavior inside the classroom and ultimately the world. The vivid illustrations and relatable text showcase how rewarding bucket filling is, and that by spreading kindness and love, you not only make others happy, you make YOU happy, too! It brings to our attention that every action and every word hold power to lift a person up, and it is our duty to bring that positive light into this world. Kid President once said, “If you can’t think of anything nice to say, you’re not thinking hard enough.” Each and every person is special; it is a bucket filler’s job to let them know. – Wesley, Salvation Army Barton Center Tutor

What’s YOUR favorite children book? Share with us by commenting below!

Want to support literacy for our students? Check out our wishlist to see our kids’ current book requests!

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Advocate and Engage

Why is School on Wheels important to you? What role has education played in your life? When you tell your story and share your connection to School on Wheels, you can help your friends, family, and co-workers understand the complexities of family homelessness and give them the tools to be part of the solution, too.

Help us bring attention to the critical issue of family homelessness and help others learn how education can break the cycle of poverty and homelessness. We offer information and insight on our social platforms so be sure to follow along and engage with us online or offline.

Connect with us on social to help raise awareness and support for #SharetheLoveIndy and School on Wheels!

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Donate

Every dollar makes a difference. A gift that’s meaningful to you is meaningful to us and positively impacts our programs.

A one time $10 donation provides a week’s worth of incentive prizes at one site for kiddos who accomplish milestones. A monthly recurring donation of $10 adds up to provide a month’s worth of tutoring for one child, plus a week’s worth of after school snacks at one site!

Make a one time or recurring donation that’s right for you online or check out other ways to give to School on Wheels here.

Would you rather send a check or give over the phone? Contact Amber Ewing, VP of Development, at amber@indysow.org or 317.202.9100.

Attend Events

We have three February events that make doing good extra fun. Attend one or all three and bring your friends!

Sweat for School on Wheels
Shred 415 in Carmel
12:15 pm on  February 3
$20 per person. Email indy@shred415.com to claim your spot today.

100% of proceeds will support School on Wheels 

Shop for School on Wheels 
Kendra Scott at Keystone Fashion Mall
1-4 pm on February 9

20% of proceeds will support School on Wheels

Sip for School on Wheels
Sun King downtown
6-9 pm on  February 25

$1 of each pint will support School on Wheels

Find full event details on our Facebook Events page. RSVP and invite your friends.

Create a Facebook Fundraiser

Anyone can set up a #SharetheLoveIndy Facebook fundraiser for School on Wheels! It’s more involved than adding a donate button to a post, but it’s still simple and is so much more impactful. Click the video above to learn how to create a Facebook fundraiser on your desktop or follow the steps below to get started!

  1. Open Facebook and select Fundraisers from the column to the left of your newsfeed.
  2. Click “Raise Money”
  3. Now choose “School on Wheels Indianapolis” from the non profit category.
  4. Choose how much you want to raise and when you want your fundraiser to end.
  5. Now you get to name your fundraiser and tell your story! Share why you chose the goal you did and why you care about School on Wheels. People give to people and your story will motivate your friends to support your goal.
  6. Finally, select the School on Wheels photo you want as your cover photo, click create and you’re ready to go.

Our video above will walk you through all the steps. If you need help crafting your message or creating your fundraiser, contact Claire Brosman at claire@indysow.org or 317.202.9100. Good luck!