Ready to get great
books to Caribbean children? We'd love your help!
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Calree Xavier, Nathan Henderson, and Sheniah Lavinier
at the Newtown Primary School, on the island of Dominica,
with books donated by Hands supporters
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Our work is made possible through
the generous assistance of donors who provide funds to help
us buy new children's books or who donate new
or near-new books for pre-schoolers, primary school,
and secondary school students. Your efforts toward improving
literacy in Caribbean schools are making a big difference
to children across the islands
of the West Indies. Kids respond to new, well-illustrated
and well-written books!
If you would like to make an
in-kind donation of new
or near-new children's books please
e-mail Hands to describe your
donation, when and where it will be shipped or dropped off,
and the date you plan to do this. Hands can then make sure
your book donation goes smoothly, and send you an acknowledgement
and a thank you when it has
been received. If your books
are for a specific school or Peace Corps Volunteer's project,
please label the outside of the box clearly in black marker.
Attention: We
Accept New or Near-New Books Only!
Hands Across the Sea accepts only new
or near-new books for donation. Sending old
books, such as library discards or (see our requirements
below) other inappropriate material results in a waste
of our time and effort spent sorting and recycling them
— and sending inappropriate books to Hands is a
complete waste of your time and effort. Please read
our guidelines very carefully before deciding whether
the books you want to collect and donate are appropriate.
Hands Across the Sea does
not send old or inappropriate material to Caribbean
children.
Donated
books must meet the Hands Book Donation Guidelines below:
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Cendrillon:
A Caribbean Cinderella, by Robert D. San Souci,
illustrated by Brian Pinkney; available on Amazon.com
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What kind of children's books
should you donate?
• Books in new
or near-new condition with covers clean and
intact; pages should not be yellowed (due to age) or torn.
• Children's storybooks,
with amazing illustrations, large type, and compelling themes
— the kind you would read to your child or grandchild.
• Books with Caribbean
themes and black people as central characters.
• Nonfiction books
for elementary and primary school grades, the kind that
you would find in a modern school library or a children's
bookstore.
• Fiction books
for elementary and primary school grades, the kind that
you would find in a modern school library or a children's
bookstore.
• "How
to" books for children (how to sew, woodwork, cook, build
a boat, play a musical instrument)
• Any
children's books that you would find in a children's bookstore,
the children's section of your local library, or the library
at your child's school.
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The
Big Books series, for grades K-3, published
by Scholastic.
Teachers love Big Books!
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Especially helpful:
•
Early readers that feature Spiderman, The Incredible
Hulk, superheroes, cars, trucks, monsters and boats.
• Non-fiction
books published by publishers such as Scholastic
•
Eyewitness Series Books by DK
Publishing
• Caribbean children's books by publishers like
Macmillan Caribbean
•
Scholastic Big Books sets available for $175, from Scholastic
Example books for younger readers:
•
Books by Dr. Seuss
• My First
Steps to Reading by author Jane Moncure
• Walt Disney's
Wonderful World of Reading published by Grolier Book
Club edition
• Books by author
Rev. W. Awdry (Thomas the Tank Engine series)
• Books by Stan
or Jan Berenstain
• Books published
by Scholastic and
other school market publishers
Example books for older readers, grade 4 and above:
•
Classics written by E.B. White or Roald Dahl that can be
read aloud to a class or read independently
• Babysitters
Club and other type series
• Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys,
and other mysteries
• Goosebumps
series
• Newbury Award
winners
• Comic books to
encourage reluctant teen readers
•
Diary of a Wimpy Kid and similar books that appeal
to boys
•
Young Adult (YA) fiction
• Books published
by Scholastic and
other school market publishers
Good sources for these types of books:
•
Purchase new online
•
Friends of the Library sales of community-donated new
or near-new books (NOT library discards)
• Used-book bookstore
(books must be in new or near-new
condition)
• Discount bookstores
• Children's bookstores
•
Your child's school book fair (books
must be in new or near-new
condition)
•
Your child's bookshelf
(books must be in new
or near-new condition)
Books which are not appropriate—will not be accepted—for
donation to Hands:
•
Library or school discards or other throwaways from a basement
or attic
• School textbooks
• Books published
before 2000
• Books with torn
or discolored covers or yellowed pages or scribbles on the
pages
• Bibles and other
religious-themed material; encyclopedia sets
•
Books unsuitable for Caribbean children, such as adult spy,
romance, and murder novels, diet books, political books,
and U.S. history books
Good ways to collect books:
•
If you know of any libraries having a Friends of the Library
book sale, bring cash, be the first in line, and pick out
all the children's books, dictionaries and recent atlases
in new or near-new condition.
Books usually go for 50 cents to $2— and $100 can buy
a lot of books!
• Encourage your
friends, neighbors, local day spa or hair salon, church,
and school to donate new or near-new
children's books.
• Throw a party
and ask everyone to bring a new book or two or a cash donation.
• Your school
or church may want to hold a new
or near-new book drive to collect children's
books as part of a community outreach program.
• Encourage donations
to Hands through our web site's PayPal
button. We are happy with small donations such as $5,
$10, $30 — it all adds up and we use the funds to buy
brand new children's books.
How to box the books for shipment:
•
You can usually find sturdy book boxes at bookstores and
other retailers if you ask and arrive at the right time.
Barnes & Noble book boxes are a good size.
• Pack the book
boxes tightly so that the box is well supported on all sides.
The boxes will be packed one on top of the other in six-high
stacks inside a shipping container. If the boxes are not
packed tightly with rigid sides, they will collapse, ruining
the book bindings.
How to ship the books:
Thank
you for your generous contribution! Please pack your book
boxes securely and send them (USPS media mail is recommended)
to:
Hands
Across the Sea Donations
c/o Gerry Tucker
Harte-Hanks
600 North Bedford Street
East Bridgewater, MA 02333
(Shipping questions? Please call Hands at 617-320-3601 or
contact Hands) by e-mail.
Hands can advise you on the best way to ship or send your
books, and how to label the books so they reach the correct
designated school.
