Research has evidenced time and time again that if children have access to books in their home and choice in the books they read, then they will read more often and achieve at higher academic levels. Unfortunately, children living in middle- to upper-income families have an average of 12 age-appropriate books in their home as compared to only 1 book for every 300 low-income households. More than 80 percent of Houston-area public school children are considered "economically disadvantaged." Put simply, while books are essential tools for children to reach success, many parents in our city cannot afford to purchase them for their children.

My Home Library provides a solution to the book gap found in homes of economically disadvantaged children across Houston. Specifically, through the My Home Library website, children will be able to create a wish list of books for their very own home library, and members of the community will be able to sponsor a specific child's home library by making a tax-deductible donation. On January 17, in partnership with  Marathon Oil Corporation, the  Wade Smith Foundation and the  Houston Super Bowl Host Committee, we will kick off the pilot of My Home Library at  Browning Elementary School, a school in which more than 90 percent of the 600 children are eligible for the federal Free and Reduced Lunch program. Our goal is to provide a home library for every single child at the school.

My Home Library was developed last fall in partnership with  Credera and a team of volunteer technologists from across the Houston community. We are very grateful to  Phillips 66 for sponsoring the My Home Library application and to  Marathon Oil  Corporation employees for supporting the pilot of My Home Library at Browning Elementary School. If you would like to help kick-start our My Home Library project by making a tax-deductible donation, please  click here.

We are excited to have  Jim Gaffigan, Grammy-nominated Comedian and New York Times® bestselling author, as one of our featured authors at this year's  A Celebration of Reading event . This multi-platinum selling performer will be sharing stories from his second book,  Food: A Love Story, which was released in 2014 and is an in-depth, uninformed examination of healthy food and things that people truly enjoy eating. His first book,  Dad is Fat, was released in 2013 by Crown Publishing and debuted on the  New York Times® bestseller list, remaining in the top 20 for 17 weeks. Jim will share the stage at the 23rd annual A Celebration of Reading with  Bill Browder and  Sue Grafton. Additional authors to be announced.  Learn more about Jim Gaffigan, Bill Browder and Sue Grafton and purchase tickets, tables or sponsorship for the event today.

Join the Bush Family for  A Celebration of Reading to be held on  Thursday,  April 20, 2016 at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts . Proceeds from this extraordinary event benefit the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation and the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.

Neff ECC Principal Leal, Rotary Club Governor Eric Liu and wife Sandra, First Book of Greater Houston Director Sheila Long Armstrong, former NFL player Charles Davis, Dr. Julie Baker Finck and Ladies for Literacy Guild Member Patti Gillies line up to help distribute bicycles. Neff ECC student rides off with a new bike he earned by meeting reading goals.

Nearly 8,000 children across the Greater Houston area received brand new bicycles and helmets last December as a reward for meeting their reading goals, thanks to CYLCE:  Changing Young Children's Lives through Education. "Our vision at CYCLE is that every student in the Greater Houston area will read at or above grade-level by the end of the 3 rd grade, putting them on the path to success and empowering them to reach their full potential in school and life," said Rebecca Roberts, Executive Director of CYCLE. "Providing children an opportunity to earn a bicycle for achieving their set goals is a great motivator and strategy for helping them learn that hard work equals reward." More than 230 children who earned bicycles and helmets were first-graders at Neff Early Childhood Center in Houston ISD. Neff ECC Principal Dr. Gerardo Leal remarked, "It is exciting to see so many of our children attain their reading goals and be rewarded with new bicycles and helmets from CYCLE. I am so proud of the children's accomplishments and grateful to the families and our teachers for making reading a top priority." In addition to receiving new bicycles and helmets this school year, every child at Neff ECC received brand new books through a partnership with First Book of Greater Houston. We think books and bicycles should be in every child's home.

This holiday season, we joined members of our Connect4Literacy.org Literacy Partners Network, including iWrite, Making It Better, Books Between Kids, Kids' Meals, Inc., the Children's Museum of Houston, Friends of the Houston Public Library and the Houston Public Library to co-host special volunteer opportunities. These events provided opportunities for members of the community to volunteer with their family and friends in order to give back this holiday season. More than 140 adults and children volunteered at these events aimed at boosting capacity for literacy programs.

During the first two weeks of December, iWrite and Texas Tamale Company hosted its 2 ^nd annual book drive, called Literacy in the Bag, in the Montrose and Heights neighborhoods. Volunteers dropped off and picked up bags at residences in both neighborhoods. All books collected were given to low income children in Houston and the Friends of the Houston Public Library. On December 15 , members of the Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation worked with Making It Better to host a celebration for students at Ross Elementary participating in Making It Better's Reading Intervention program. The staff read aloud to the students, decorated cookies and distributed books donated by the Foundation to start or add to their home libraries. Other events included sorting donated books to be redistributed by Books Between Kids and Friends of the Houston Public Library, stuffing FLIP Kits for the Children's Museum of Houston and packing lunches with Kids' Meals. Thank you to our partners and volunteers who worked so hard to make these holiday events a success!