KENT COUNTY, Mich. — As a way to promote childhood literacy, children in Kent County will have the chance to read the same book at the same time.
The One County One Book (OCOB) initiative, spearheaded by the Great Start Collaborative of Kent County, is urging families to help their children build literacy skills. Each year, they select a book to distribute to kids in the county so they can read together.
The Great Start Collaborative is giving away 10,000 copies of this year's selection, "Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match" by Monica Brown. There will also be literacy kits distributed with ways for parents to encourage their children to read.
This is the first year that the selected book is available in both English and Spanish.
Paula Brown, director of Great Start Collaborative in Kent County, said encouraging children to read from a young age is crucial to their education later on.
"We are here to just create some excitement and just lift up the importance of families reading books with their children and building those early literacy skills," she said. "Literacy is the foundation for everything in education."
"Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match" is about a young girl celebrating the uniqueness that comes with her multiracial background.
"'Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match' is an opportunity for children to look at differences and see them as an opportunity...we can all be different, but all live together and be in perfect harmony with one another as well," Brown said.
Books and literacy kits will be distributed throughout April and May.
This is the fourth year OCOB has been available for families. Teachers can also download a curriculum to get their students involved with the program.
To learn more or get your child involved, click here.
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