500 local students receive free books

500 Dallas students receive free books thanks to Book Drive for Kids.

Hundreds of students in Dallas ISD received books recently, thanks to a local nonprofit, Book Drive for Kids.

Ms. Patel, the librarian at Casa View Elementary in Dallas, was there to receive the books and get the kids ready for a visit from children's book author Keka Novales, who wrote the Hola Lola! series about Lola, a girl from Guatemala.

"This is the first author visit we have had," Ms. Patel related, "the kids were so attentive and excited."

While the 2nd graders learned about writing, the other students cycled through the free book fair to find the perfect new read.

Book Drive for Kids said it was made possible through partnerships with Frost Bank and Capstone Publishers.

Book Drive for Kids, a local non-profit, hosts free book fairs for low-income and underserved children.

They also find new homes for donated books in our local "book deserts", i.e., areas where book ownership and access are limited.

According to Michelle Cook, Co-Founder & Executive Director of Book Drive for Kids, the goal of Book Drive for Kids is that every child, regardless of their zip code, can have a home library of at least 20 books.