After your Book Drive …. How to Sort Books

Please remember: All children are entitled to new books.

While we prefer new books, we will accept gently used books.

We ask that the books be in good condition, are secular in nature,

and represent original literature (not a re-worked story based on a movie or TV series). 

Now, let’s sort!

Find a good space to sort.  Depending on the size of your book drive you may need just a living room.  If you have collected hundreds of books you may need to consider an alternative space such as a church, school  or community meeting space.

Pick out quality books.

• Quality books have eye-catching art work. For many children art in picture books is their introduction to the world of fine art. 
• Quality books have interesting language and introduce children to new vocabulary.  Children learn quickly and will remember and enjoy new words.
• Quality books can rhyme …. if the words are well chosen, not to just fulfill the rhyming scheme
• Quality books look new, even if they are used. 
• Quality children books are those that exist solely as original literature and not a boiled-down version of a movie or TV show.
• Lists of quality books are available at: www.read365.org/get_smart/BeginningwithBooksFavoriteBooks.htm

 Weed out certain groups of books and distribute accordingly

• Damaged books (please discard)
• Encyclopedia sets or text books (Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc.)
• Books that are based on a Movie or TV series (Goodwill, Salvation Army)
• Books with religious content (religious organizations)

Please realize that quantity is NOT what makes a successful book drive.  

• Think quality when donating to a literacy agency. 
• We would rather have five high quality books than fifty inappropriate books.

THANK YOU!

Your donation will help fulfill our mission to increase meaningfully the number of children who become capable and enthusiastic life-long readers.

READ! 365 is a campaign of Beginning with Books.