H.H. Garnet Elementary School students show off the Reading Buddies they received from a partnership formed by local authors Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr and the Build-A-Bear Foundation. From left are Drew Beck, Tommy Divilio, Jyron Taylor and Andrew Gillis.
Kent County Public Schools elementary students took home new friends for story time this summer thanks to a pair of local authors.
Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr, the creative husband-and-wife team behind books such as "The Real McCoys" and "The Cookie Chronicles" series, have spent the last year on the road.
The Chestertown couple and their four children converted a bus into a camper and have been visiting schools in every state.
As part of their Busload of Books tour, they have been meeting students, talking about their work and donating books.
They also struck up a partnership with the Build-A-Bear Foundation to help inspire children to read.
"We’re partnering with the Busload of Books Tour, a year-long literacy awareness initiative and monumental book giveaway," the foundation posted in a Youtube video last September. "Together with Robbi, Matthew and their family, we’ll distribute a collective total of 150,000 books to underserved students and teachers this year — and we have a NEW bear to celebrate."
DeAndre Smith, a third-grader at H.H. Garnet Elementary School, completes a lesson with his new Reading Buddy Wednesday, June 7.
In addition to books, Behr and Swanson have been passing out these special bears to children they visit so they have a Reading Buddy to take home.
On Wednesday, June 7, Reading Buddies were delivered to H.H. Garnet Elementary School in Chestertown, Galena Elementary School and Rock Hall Elementary School for students to keep.
"We want to say a huge 'thank you' to Build-A-Bear and Matthew and Robbi and their Busload of Books Tour for gifting all of our Garnet students with a Reading Buddy bear," said Brenda Rose, principal at Garnet Elementary School. "Our students were so excited when they received them today and started reading with their buddies right away."
Before the bears were passed around, students watched a special video message from Swanson and Behr.
"Each of you is going to be getting your very own Reading Buddy thanks to Build-A-Bear, who has decided all of you should have somebody to take home with you this summer," Behr announced in the video.
Galena Elementary School student Khal Black is ready to take his Reading Buddy home with him Wednesday, June 7.
Then their new snuggly friends were handed out.
"This teddy bear Reading Buddy is ready to listen patiently, always smiles and never judges," said Galena Elementary School Principal Becky Yoder. "We hope all our students enjoy reading to their buddies. Thank you Robbi and Matthew and the Build-A-Bear Foundation."
Swanson spoke in the September Build-A-Bear Foundation Youtube video about how the Busload of Books tour is also in part a research project about education.
He said research has shown that having a pet or stuffed friend they can read with gives children a sense of empowerment.
"It makes them more comfortable reading aloud. It helps them develop literacy, language and social skills all at the same time," Swanson said. "So we're really excited for the opportunity to get more Reading Buddies into the hands of kids, more books into the hands of kids."
Students in Rebeka Vansant's class at Galena Elementary School smile for a photo with their new Reading Buddies courtesy of local authors Robbi Behr and Matthew Swanson and the Build-A-Bear Foundation.
Yoder also highlighted the value of a stuffed friend like a Reading Buddy in building a child's literacy skills.
"Research shows that reading to stuffed friends helps children develop increased confidence in their ability to read, improved reading fluency and more positive reading experiences," she said.
Behr and Swanson's youngest son Jasper Swanson is a big fan of his own Reading Buddy.
"I like reading with him," Japser Swanson said in the video to Kent County Public Schools students. "It makes me feel good."
In their video to students here, Matthew Swanson said he and Behr were so excited for Kent County Public Schools students to receive their own Reading Buddies just before the end of the school year.
"Have a great summer," Behr told students in the video. "We love you!”
