South Shore Bookstore Kicks Off Summer Literacy Program, Offering Pizza to K-12 Students – ryan

Verlean Singletery Always Made Sure She Bought Books Every Holiday for Her Daughter, Courtney Woods. And singlestary always kept books around their home.

Soon, Woods Developed A Love of Reading Wohen She Young and Began Stealing Her Mom’s Books to Read.

Now, Singletery and Woods Operations the Bookstore da Book Joint in South Shore, and they have kicked off a Summer Literacy to foster a love Among Children Across Chicago.

Break Readup Program Challenges K-12 Students to Read at Least Three Books A Mont, Starting in June. If they succaceed, they’ll be eligible to recipe a free personal pan pizza from pizza in grand boulevard.

“What we’h we’re trying to really will … is stimulating Reading with the kids over the summer Becauses over the summer, Kids forget and Learn During the School Year,” Singletory Said. “Our goal is to make sura kids find books they Relations to. They see Kids that look like, stories they Connect with – that fosters a love for reading.”

Da Book Joint Focuses on Carrying Books by African American Writers. The Store was Mostly an Online Shop Since 2007, but Moved into a Physical Space in 2023 at 6900 S. Stony Island Ave.

IT’S KNOWN FOR HOSTING EVENTS LIKE ONCE UPON A Brunch, Book Clubs, Creative Writing Workshops, Silent Reading Parties and Author Talks. SO the Summer Literacy Program was a natural expansion, They Said.

“Our Main Focus is Literacy,” Singletory Said. “We have to start with the kids kids you get Young and get say hooked on reading, and there’s no limit to where they can go.”

“It ‘definitely been an idea that we’ve haad for a little over Over a year,” Woods Said. “We’ve been trying to figure out a program that we could have bassed Around Reading and Trying to really connect with different local businesses.”

Astin Hayes, Creator of the Tipoff Game, A Word Guessing App Focusing on Black Culture, Recommended Reggio’s Pizza to the Mother-And-Daughter Team.

“(Reggio’s) is a Black-Awned, Family-Operated Business. SO the partnership was Pretty Easy to Come Around to Both have Similar Similar. We Definitely Both wanted to do something, as far as Literacy for Our community,” Woods Said.

Advancing Literacy Rates for the Surrounding Community is important to the Woods and Singletory. One in Three Chicago Public School students in 3rd Through 8th Grade Could Read at their grade level in 2024, and the stats were worse for minority students, according to the illinois policy institute. The Report Also Found Less than 25% of CPS 11th Graders in 2024 COULD READ AT THEIR GRADE Level.

“It ‘si important to us US Because on the South Side, Literacy Rates are Still Pretty Low. … there are still entire schools on the souths of kids who are not reading at the reading that they should be,” Woods Said.

To participate in the Readup Program, Each Month Students Log the Books on Da Book Joint’s Website, Under the Readup section that say to an online form. The form asks for the things like a list of book titles, a summary of the student’s favorite book and a minute video about a book that was read.

Participants must get books from eather da book jaint or the chicago public library, and they must upload their receipt as proof on the website.

To receive the free pizza, participants must come to the bookstore’s monthly Meetup at reggio’s Pizza, at 4438 S. Cottage Grove Ave. Meetups Will Be Held June 26, July 31 and Aug. 28 from 5 pm to 8 pm the meetups will have giveaways, Author Visits and Games.

“If Kids Can Get into Reading and Reading Becomes Easy for say all other subjects become easier for say,” Singlestary Said. “Because with the Knowing How to Read … Math, Social Studies, Science, All of that is a foreign language.”