Edison Students Get Gift Of Reading During Black History Month

TAMPA, FL — It began as a modest project to purchase 100 books to hand out to elementary school students in honor of Black History Month and the Hillsborough County School District's African American Read-In initiative. But it springboarded into a lot more.

Over winter break, the Greater Tampa Jack and Jill Associates Group, part of a national organization of mothers intent on improving the lives of Black youth, spoke to a group of attorneys about their book project.

As a result, the group collected more than 700 books for students at Edison Elementary, 1607 E. Curtis St. in Tampa, with the help of the C. H. Ferguson M. E. White American Inn of Court, the Bruce R. Jacob-Chris W. Altenbernd Criminal Appellate American Inn of Court and the Stann Givens Family Law American Inn of Court.

"We were seeking to partner with a school that has that same passion for their students to grow in the area of literacy and reading," said Greater Tampa Jack and Jill Associates Group chairwoman Debra Blossom on choosing Edison Elementary as the recipient of the books. "We hope that students use these books to create mini-libraries at home to read and share with their families. It was such a great opportunity for Edison and a pleasure for us to be able to do that for them."

In fact, the group collected enough books to give each student two. Some students were so excited, they plopped down on the sidewalk in front of the school's media center and began reading their new books.

Among the books students received was "Harold Gets An F" by Tampa children's author Calvin Reynolds. Later that evening, students and their families had the opportunity to put on their pajamas at home and participate in a virtual bedtime story with Reynolds reading "Harold Gets An F" aloud.

Reynolds is a professional illustrator/graphic designer and award-winning children's book author. Among his books are the popular Jayce the Bee series, "Aiden's Pet" and "I Love Being Brown."

His latest children's book, "Harold Gets An F," is about Harold, a smart fifth-grader who loves going to school and making good grades. With a big test looming, Harold chooses to have fun with his friends and hobbies instead of making time to study and prepare. He ends up learning the hard way the importance of time management and responsibility. Visit Amazon here to see all his books.

"We are very appreciative of our community partnerships. We know it truly takes all of us working together with our teachers, parents and local organizations to make our kids successful. So as a way of promoting literacy and reading, we know this will be beneficial for our students," said Edison's principal, Candice Dodd.