Principal Anna Jenkins told American Libraries that the letters were mailed last week requesting books about some 200 countries and their native languages as well as their flags. “We’re trying to build up our library,” Jenkins said.
“I had the idea at the beginning of the year, and the 4th graders loved it,” library instructional aide Roman Lukasiewicz said in the March 23 Philadelphia Inquirer. He described the library as “extremely lean,” with four to five books per student.
The multicultural school is comprised of 37% Asian students, 15% Hispanic, about 40% black, and the remainder of mixed backgrounds.
Posted April 1, 2005.