This week, we were excited to donate about 40 Bash and Lucy picture books, along with hundreds of used books, to the Children’s Book Bank, located here in Portland.

We were looking for a place to donate both Bash and Lucy books and some of Michael’s used children’s books, and were thrilled to find The Children’s Book Bank. The non-profit organization provides books for children in need, through organizations such as Head Start.

“In low-income neighborhoods, the ratio of books to children is one book for every 300 children. Middle-income neighborhoods average 13 age-appropriate books per child,” we learned from the book bank’s website.

When we met with the bank’s volunteer coordinator, she emphasized the importance of children reading books with characters that look like themselves. That means diversity is critical. The main character in our books is white. But our illustrator–who is Mexican American–works hard to ensure diversity in the characters. Coach Danny is Black, and the kids on the team represent a diverse group. One of the main characters in our third and fourth books is an immigrant from Ukraine.

We absolutely loved visiting the book bank, seeing the shelves of books and learning about all the good the bank does for kids.

The Children’s Book Bank aims to ensure preschool children are raised with books. The goal is for kids to read more often and for longer lengths of time. The book bank also aims to ensure children have improved attitudes about reading and develop critical reading skills. What’s more, a goal is for parents and children to connect with one another through books. And kids use books as a way to take a break from daily stressors, according to the website.

You can learn more about the book bank by visiting here. The organization accepts donations of new and gently used books. You can also use a credit card to donate here.

When we visited the book bank, we talked about how much Michael loves to read, and shared that  the Today Show featured him as a 5-year-old book lover and budding literary critic.

You can watch Michael on the Today Show here.

Do you have suggestions for organizations that serve low-income children and would like book donations? Email us at BashAndLucy@gmail.com  We’re also happy to donate our kids’ audiobooks, recorded with the voices of Michael, his friends, family members and dog!

recorded with the voices of Michael, his family members, his friends and his dog!