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Bring a Book

Bring a Book to Stanford: Help Us Foster a Love of Reading in Young People
Why students at East Palo Alto Academy High School love reading. (1:49)

The Haas Center is collecting books for our schools programs: Jumpstart [1] (pre-school), Ravenswood Reads [2] (elementary school), East Palo Alto Stanford Academy [3] (middle school), Stanford College Preparatory Program [4] (high school), and Science in Service [5] (elementary through high school). These programs connect Stanford undergraduates with youth in the Ravenswood City School District [6] where they work one-on-one to promote literary development, academic success, and college readiness. Most children and youth in East Palo Alto and eastern Menlo Park have few—if any—books at home. Many are also English language learners.

The Haas Center seeks to foster a love of reading in young people of all ages, and you can help us in a tangible way. Your book donation supports the work of students at Stanford and in the local community. Stanford alumni have donated more than 2000 books since 2004!

Here’s how you can make a difference:

  • Check the Haas Center's list of books
    • preschool [7] and elementary [8] books are "leveled readers" that encourage new learners to read independently
    • middle school books have been recommended by school administrators and the California Department of Education
    • high school [9] books have been recommended by the principal and librarian for the underresourced library of East Palo Alto Academy High School [10] (a Stanford New School [11])
  • Select and purchase a book and bring it to campus (you can also purchase books during Reunion Homecoming weekend at the Stanford Bookstore [12], our book drive partner)
  • Drop off your book donation with your name and address (optional) at the Haas Center
  • If you're not coming to campus, consider making a $25 donation [13]. We will purchase a book from our list, and use any remaining funds to support the schools program.

Stanford Bookstore [12]For more information, please contact Damali Robertson [14].

Thank you to our book drive partner, the Stanford Bookstore [12].

Special thanks to Funders' Used Bookstore [15] in Redwood City, who made a generous contribution this January!

View more Haas Center videos. [16]

Preschool Book List

Books for preschool-aged children, recommended by Jumpstart [1]:

  • dear juno, Soyung Pak (2001)
  • Dog’s Colorful Day, Emma Dodd (2003)
  • Dreams, Ezra Jack Keats (2000)
  • Gilberto and the Wind, Marie Hall Ets (1978)
  • Hooray a Pinata!, Elisa Kleven (2000)
  • I Heard Said the Bird, Polly Berrien Berends (1998)
  • Kitten For a Day, Ezra Jack Keats (2002)
  • A Letter to Amy, Ezra Jack Keats (1968)
  • The Lion and the Little Red Bird, Elisa Kleven (1996)
  • The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza), Philemon Sturges (2002)
  • Make Way for Ducklings, Robert McCloskey (1999)
  • Max’s Dragon Shirt, Rosemary Wells (2000)
  • Noisy Nora, Rosemary Well (2000)
  • One Dark Night, Hazel Hutchins (2001)
  • Oonga Boonga, Frieda Wishinsky (1999)
  • Peter’s Chair, Ezra Jack Keats (1967)
  • The Puddle Pail, Elisa Kleven (1997)
  • Rabbits and Raindrops, Jim Arnosky (2001)
  • Raccoon On His Own, Jim Arnosky (2003)
  • The Ugly Vegetables, Grace Lin (2001)

Elementary Book List

Books for elementary school students, recommended by Ravenswood Reads [2]:

  • "About" book series, Cathryn Sill (e.g. About Birds)
  • "Adam Joshua Capers" book series, Janice Lee Smith
  • "The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids" book series, Debbie Dadey & Marcia Thornton Jones (e.g. Vampires Don't Wear Polka Dots)
  • All Pigs are Beautiful, Dick King-Smith (2001)
  • "Amelia Bedelia" book series, Peggy Parish
  • Animal Dads, Sneed Collard (2000)
  • Apple Green and Runner Bean, Phyllis King (1996)
  • Bat Loves the Night, Nicola Davies (2008)
  • Big Blue Whale, Nicola Davies (2001)
  • Bridges are to Cross, Philemon Sturges (1998)
  • Caterpillar, Butterfly, Vivian French (1993)
  • Caterpillar, Caterpillar, Vivian French (2009)
  • Chalk Box Kid, Clyde Robert Bulla (1987)
  • "Cam Jansen" book series, David A. Adler
  • Cherries and Cherry Pits, Vera B. Williams (1991)
  • "Commander Toad" book series, Jane Yolen
  • Communication, Aliki (1993)
  • Crab Moon, Ruth Horowitz (2004)
  • Ducks Don't Get Wet, Augusta Goldin (1999)
  • Earthquakes, Seymour Simon (2006)
  • "Einstein Anderson" book series, Seymour Simon (e.g. Einstein Anderson: The Time Machine and Other Cases)
  • Family Pictures (Cuadros de Familia), Carmen Lomas Garza (2005)
  • A Field Full of Horses, Peter Hansard (2001)
  • Fossils Tell of Long Ago, Aliki (1990)
  • "Fox" book series, Edward Marshall
  • Gentle Giant Octopus, Karen Wallace (1998)
  • Grandma Elephant's in Charge, Martin Jenkins (2007)
  • Growing Frogs, Vivian French (2008)
  • Growing Up in Ancient China, Ken Teague (1997)
  • "I can't" Said the Ant, Polly Cameron (2003)
  • If the Earth..., Joe Miller (1998)
  • I Love Guinea Pigs, Dick King-Smith (2001)
  • In my Family (En mi Familia), Carmen Lomas Garza (1997)
  • "Jigsaw Jones Mysteries" book series, James Preller
  • "Julian" book series, Ann Cameron
  • "Leftovers" book series, Tristan Howard
  • "Little Big Book" book series, Monique Peterson
  • "Marvin Red Post" book series, Louis Sachar
  • "Meg Mackintosh Mysteries" book series, Lucinda Landon
  • Miss Nelson is Missing!, Harry Allard, Jr. (1985)
  • "Mr. Putter and Tabby" book series, Cynthia Rylant
  • My Five Senses, Aliki (1989)
  • My Hen is Dancing, Anita Jeram  (1993)
  • Nonfiction book series, Gail Gibbons
  • Owl at Home, Arnold Lobel (1982)
  • "A Picture Book of..." biography book series, David Adlar
  • A Piece of String is a Wonderful Thing, Margaret Chamberlain (1993)
  • "Pinky and Rex" book series, James Howe
  • "Poppleton" book series, Cynthia Rylant
  • "Rats on the Range" book series, James Marshall
  • Red Fox, Karen Wallace (1996)
  • A River Ran Wild, Lynne Cherry (2002)
  • River Story, Meredith Hooper (2000)
  • A Ruined House, Mick Manning (1994)
  • Sandra Day O'Connor: Justice for All, Beverly Gherman (1991)
  • Something Special for Me, Vera B. Williams (1986)
  • Think of a Beaver, Karen Wallace (2001)
  • Think of an Eel, Karen Wallace (2004)
  • This Bowl of Earth, Jan Mark (1993)
  • The Three Little Pigs, Paul Galdone (1984)
  • T. Rex, Alison Bartlett (2004)
  • Town Parrot, Penelope Bennett (1995)
  • Wag Wag Wag, Peter Hansard (1994)
  • Waiting for Wings, Lois Ehlert (2001)
  • Walk with a Wolf, Jannie Howker (1998)
  • Welcome to the Greenhouse, Jane Yolen (1997)
  • The Whales, Cynthia Rylant (2004)
  • What is a Cat?, Hirschi Ron (1991)
  • What is a Wall, After All?, Judy Hindley (2001)

Middle School Book List

Books for middle school students, taken from the California Department of Education [17]:

  • Beauty of the Beast: Poems from the Animal Kingdom (Prelutsky, Jack)
  • Been to Yesterdays: Poems of a Life (Hopkins, Lee Bennett)           
  • Black Is Brown Is Tan (Adoff, Arnold)
  • The Canterbury Tales (Chaucer, Geoffrey, adapted by Hastings, Selina)
  • Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888 (Thayer, Ernest L.)           
  • Celebrating America: A Collection of Poems and Images of the American Spirit (compiled by Whipple, Laura)           
  • Dream Keeper and Other Poems, The (Hughes, Langston)           
  • Falling Up (Silverstein, Shel)           
  • Grassroots: Poems by Carl Sandburg (Sandburg, Carl)           
  • Great Frog Race and Other Poems, The (George, Kristine O'Connell)           
  • Hailstones and Halibut Bones (O'Neill, Mary)           
  • Heartland (Siebert, Diane)           
  • Honey, I Love and Other Love Poems (Greenfield, Eloise)           
  • I Am Wings: Poems About Love (Fletcher, Ralph)
  • If (Perry, Sarah)
  • If You're Not from the Prairie (Bouchard, David)           
  • Insectlopedia: Poems and Paintings (Florian, Douglas)           
  • I See the Rhythm (Igus, Toyomi)
  • A Jar of Tiny Stars: Poems by NCTE Award-Winning Poets (Cullininan, Bernice E.)           
  • Knock at a Star: A Child's Introduction to Poetry (Kennedy, X. J., Kennedy, Dorothy)
  • A Light in the Attic (Silverstein, Shel)           
  • Lives: Poems About Famous Americans (selected by Hopkins, Lee Bennett)           
  • Maples in the Mist: Children's Poems from the Tang Dynasty (Ho, Minfong)
  • Middle Passage: White Ships/Black Cargo (Feelings, Tom)           
  • Mind's Eye (Fleischman, Paul)           
  • Mojave (Siebert, Diane)            
  • Neighborhood Odes (Soto, Gary)
  • New Kid on the Block (Prelutsky, Jack)
  • Nothing but the Truth: A Documentary Novel (Avi)
  • Old Elm Speaks: Tree Poems (George, Kristine O'Connell)
  • Out of the Dust (Hesse, Karen)
  • Oxford Book of Poetry for Children (edited by Blishen, Edward)           
  • Popcorn (Stevenson, James)
  • Quotations for Kids (compiled by Senn, J. A.)           
  • Rainbows Are Made: Poems by Carl Sandburg (Sandburg, Carl)           
  • The Random House Book of Poetry for Children (selected by Prelutsky, Jack)           
  • Relatively Speaking: Poems About Family (Fletcher, Ralph)
  • Salting the Ocean, 100 Poems by Young People (edited by Nye, Naomi Shihab)           
  • Sierra (Siebert, Diane)            
  • Soul Looks Back in Wonder (Feelings, Tom)           
  • A Suitcase of Seaweed (Wong, Janet)           
  • Waiting to Waltz, a Childhood: Poems (Rylant, Cynthia)
  • War and the Pity of War (edited by Philip, Neil)           
  • Water Music (Yolen, Jane)           
  • What Have You Lost? (edited by Nye, Naomi Shihab)           
  • When the Rain Sings, Poems by Young Native Americans (edited by Gale, David)           

High School Book List

Books wish list created by Stanford College Prep [4]:

    • A Child Called “It”: One Child’s Courage to Survive (Dave Pelzer)
    • Sentences: The Life of M.F. Grimm (Percy Carey)
    • Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury) graphic novel version
    • Monster: The autobiography of an LA Gang Member (Sanyika Shakur)
    • East Side Dreams (Art Rodriguez)
    • Lady Q: The Rise and Fall of a Latin Queen (Reymundo Sanchez & Sonia Rodriquez)
    • My Bloody Life: The Making of a Latin King (Reymundo Sanchez)
    • Once a King Always a King: The Unmaking of a Latin King (Reymundo Sanchez)
    • Perfect (Natasha Friend) series
    • Bounce (Natasha Friend) series
    • Lush (Natasha Friend) series
    • Pride of Baghdad (Brian Vaughan & Niko Henrichon)
    • "There's Hair in My Dirt (Gary Larson) picture book
    • Go Ask Alice (Anonymous)
    • Crank (Ellen Hopkins) series
    • Cut (Ellen Hopkins) series
    • Burned (Ellen Hopkins) series
    • Impulse (Ellen Hopkins) series
    • Glass (Ellen Hopkins) series
    • Speak (Laurie Anderson) series
    • Catalyst (Laurie Anderson) series
    • Sold (Patricia Mccormick)
    • The Glass Castle (Jeannette Walls )
    • Bone (Jeffrey Smith) series
    • Frenemies (Megan Crane)
    • Novio Boy (Gary Soto)
    • The Rag and Bone Shop (Robert Cormier)
    • The House of the Scorpion (Nancy Farmer)
    • Keeper of the Doves (Betsy Byars)
    • Lupita Manana (Patricia Beatty)
    • The Tequila Worm (Viola Canales)
    • House of Night (P.C. Cast & Kristin Cast)
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      Source URL (retrieved on Jul 29 2011 - 4:13am): https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/haas/bringabook

      Links:
      [1] https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/haas/jumpstart
      [2] https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/haas/ravenswoodreads
      [3] https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/haas/epasa
      [4] https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/haas/stanfordcollegeprep
      [5] https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/haas/scienceinservice
      [6] https://www.ravenswood.k12.ca.us/
      [7] https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/haas/bringabook/preschool
      [8] https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/haas/bringabook/elementary
      [9] https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/haas/bringabook/highschool
      [10] https://hs.eastpaloaltoacademy.org/
      [11] https://stanfordschools.org/
      [12] https://www.bkstr.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10161&catalogId=10001
      [13] https://pgnet.stanford.edu/goto/haasgift
      [14] https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/haas/damalirobertson
      [15] https://www.historysmc.org/funders.html
      [16] https://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/haas/video
      [17] https://crl.startest.org/crl/search.do