Got books… about agriculture? If you’re in a school library in DeKalb County, you do!
This year’s book donations to area schools bring the total donated to over 100 titles since 2002. Ninety-nine books, three ag-related magazines, and eight videos, to be exact.
As always, local sponsors make the donations of ag-related children’s books possible. Agribusinesses, ag-related organizations, and farm families step up each year to provide the funds needed to buy books which help to tell their story. Each donated book contains a label recognizing the sponsor or sponsors of that title.
This year’s sponsors recently gathered with 4th graders in the library at Jefferson Elementary in DeKalb to preview the new books. Shown are (clockwise, from left): Lauren Rosner, Natalie Waters of Bethany Animal Hospital, Jolie Ni, Donna Langford of DAAHA, Anthony Calin, Brian Tallman of AHW LLC in Somonauk, Jefferson Elementary Media Assistant Lois Miller, Kris Aves, John Holtz, Eric Lawler of Babson Farms, Fatima Mohommed, and Paul Schweitzer from the DeKalb County Farm Bureau Foundation. Mike & Lynn Martz of DeKalb also sponsored books this year.
The following titles were given to elementary and middle schools this year: “The Girl Who Thought in Pictures” by Julia Finley Mosca, “The Great American Dust Bowl” by Don Brown, “John Deere, That’s Who!” by Tracy Nelson Maurer, “John Deere’s Powerful Idea” by Terry Collins, “Planters & Cultivators” by Holly Dufek, and “A Seed is the Start” by Melissa Stewart.
Thirty-four schools benefitted from this effort. Each library received titles appropriate to the grade levels within that building.
A total of 174 books were distributed in October. Since 2002, nearly 3,300 total items have been donated to school libraries.
