I remember in 1993 teacher Glonlese Boswell telling me about little boys who arrived at school carrying man-size burdens. A parent was absent or a child had to take charge of a younger sibling, she explained, and these usually were homes that had no books. The real-life dilemmas really aren't whether to purchase a genuine Razor scooter or a knockoff. At some of the family agencies that receive the donated books, adults who receive tutoring in reading get books as well. So there was great pride at Project Read's Families for Literacy program when some of the parents received children's books right along with their kids.
Books also can be the oil on troubled water.
In 1995 I wrote about how Santa Clara County's reading program gave more than half of the 500 books it received to correctional officers to hand out to children visiting a parent in jail. Understandably, the officer is viewed by the child as the bad guy, they explained. The book soothes the bad feelings and serves as a bridge during a child's bittersweet experience. But not to be overlooked are the parents and guardians who can read to their children and don't. The parents who could purchase books for their children and won't.