My name is Odis, and I am a houseparent for fourth to sixth grade
boys at St Joseph’s Indian School. This summer I am working on St. Joseph’s bookmobile for the third time. We have spent two weeks traveling to Indian reservations around South Dakota delivering books in our bookmobile for children and adults. This year I am working with a Seth, a volunteer from Wake Forest University in North Carolina.
Sometimes working the bookmobile you have time to set up your table before the kids get to the van and sometimes you don’t. Sometimes, kids are lined up waiting for us!
And it’s not as simple as just letting kids choose a book. You have to have all kinds of skills, like working on the children’s bikes while they are looking for a Captain Underpants book. This happened to us in Parmelee when Seth had to do some impromptu bike repair for a boy. I was happy Seth was good at that kind of thing.
He was also good at making peace with the local dogs in the
communities we visited. We brought along some dog treats, which just lasted a couple stops as the kids started passing them out to the dogs as well.
The most popular author with the men who come looking for something to read is Louis L’Amour. They really enjoy any western. We were grateful to have grandmothers pick up books for grandkids. We could really tell by the amount of time a parent or guardian looked for that “perfect book” how well they knew their child’s reading habits.
Thank you to all the donors who send books each year! I want you to know we treat your gently used books with care. There are many people on the reservations here in
South Dakota who love your books and do not have access to a bookstore or library, so the books you so generously send are much appreciated. Thank you!
God bless,
Odis
I love that you guys bring the books to the kids. I hope people know that it used to be if you were just mailing books you could send them at the “Book Rate”, It was MUCH cheaper than regular rates, though it took much longer to get there, they still got there! Worth checking into if you love sharing books.
Thank you for sharing! We receive many boxes of books at the this rate, so people still use it.
It’s hard to imagine a world without books. Because you care; the children that you visit and bring the books to will be inspired by your kindness
.
Books can be fun and teach children that reading a book can lift their imagination and spirit.
Odis and Seth, thank you for caring.
Thank you for your kind words Susan â we appreciate your support!