Book trunk brings summer reading to Gainesville kids

GAINESVILLE - Gainesville residents won't miss the book trunk while it makes its rounds this summer. The big white bus has an elephant and a trunk painted on the outside and is essentially a rolling library.<br /> <br /> Lee Ann Pittman, a Gainesville City Schools media specialist, is the organizer of the book trunk program. She says she was inspired by the Hall County Reading Rocket after speaking with other media specialists.<br /> <br /> "At that time, I thought, 'That is really something Gainesville city needs,' so I came back and started doing some work on how I could bring something like the Reading Rocket into the Gainesville City School System," Pittman said.<br /> <br /> Pittman says the Director of Transportation, Jerry Castleberry, was able to get the program it's school bus. Pittman has been gathering books and receiving book donations to fill the bus.<br /> <br /> The program started this morning and will travel to varying locations each Thursday throughout the summer.<br /> <br /> "When summer comes, students want to have a good time and they want to have fun, they don't do as much reading as we would like, so we're always trying to find creative ways to get book in their hands, to encourage them to read more," said Pittman. <br /> <br /> "I felt like, if we could take a mobile library out into the city system, then that's one way that is literally coming to their front door and getting books into their hands at their house."<br /> <br /> The goal is to promote summer reading, but Pittman says readers of all ages can enjoy the book trunk.<br /> <br /> "It's not a huge section, but I do have adult reading materials, I have young adult reading materials for high school... juvenile young adult for middle school and elementary and then I have easy reading also for elementary school," said Pittman. "I am trying to reach all levels of readers in the book trunk."<br /> <br /> The schedule is as follows:<br /> <br /> June 12th: 10am-1pm Ridgecrest, Melrose <br /> June 19th 10am-1pm Linwood, Atlanta Street, Harrison Square <br /> June 26th 10am-1pm Ridgecrest, Melrose <br /> July 3rd 10am-1pm Linwood, Atlanta Street, Melrose <br /> July 10th 10am-1pm Ridgecrest, Melrose <br /> July 17th 10a- 1p Linwood, Atlanta Street, Melrose <br /> July 24th Last Book Pick Up 10a-1p Ridgecrest, Melrose <br /> July 31st Last Book Pick Up 10a-1p Linwood

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