Yay! I’ve been waiting a whole year to make this pledge. And now that my book is out and March is right around the corner, I can finally do it!

I pledge to donate a copy of my book The Peddler’s Bed to the VNS of Iowa, Storybook project via children’s book author Michelle Eastman’s literacy initiative MARCHing Books to Kids, which is part of her incredible Picture Book Pass It On (#PBPiO) project, where she shares literacy resources and encourages people to donate books to kids in need.

Here’s what MARCHING Books to Kids and the Storybook project is all about (from Michelle’s blog):

“Throughout the month of March I invite you to participate in a special initiative called “MARCHing Books to Kids”. Book lovers can donate a favorite children’s book, and we invite children’s authors to donate signed copies of their books to the Visiting Nurse Services of Iowa, Storybook Project.”

“The Storybook Project recruits, screens and trains volunteers to work with incarcerated parents and/or grandparents at the Iowa Correctional Institute for Women (ICIW) in Mitchellville, Iowa and the Newton Correctional Release Center (CNRC) in Newton, Iowa. Once per month, volunteers work with the mother, grandmother or father. The parent/grandparent and volunteer choose a book from the Storybook library that is appropriate for the child. The parent or grandparent reads the book while the volunteer records the reading onto a digital voice recorder. The book and CD are mailed to the child.”

For more information or to find out how you can participate, click here.

The donation of just one book can make a big impact in the life of a child. 

The tagline on Michelle Eastman’s blog says it all: “Never Underestimate the Power of a Picture Book”.