“The best advice I ever got was that knowledge is power and to keep reading.” – David Bailey, photographer
It doesn’t matter who you are, a book can transport you to other worlds. The words on a page can teach you about another place entirely, another life, another culture. No matter who you are, a book can change everything.
Sometimes, though, a book can be hard to come by. And that is where Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr come in.
In August, the married couple hit the road with their four kids, a dog and a school-bus turned into a library. Their goal was simple: bring the books to children who have little access to reading.
The pair, who are an author and illustrator, planned to visit each state and Washington D.C. with their Busload of Books Tour. So far, they have managed to visit 45 elementary schools.
Swanson and Behr greeting kids during their Busload of Books tour. Photo courtesy of the family
“I cannot imagine something more gratifying,” Behr said. “It is so heart-filling for us to do this.”
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And for those they have met along the way, they couldn’t agree more.
“It was a really special day,” said McElwain Elementary school librarian Sara Snider.
They were so genuine and just so eager to connect with our kids (here in Denver). It was really, really great.”
Swanson and Behr have written dozens of books for children. They say they plan to give more than 25,000 books to school kids before the end of their epic bus tour. In addition, through a partnership with the Build-A-Bear Foundation and First Book, they will give another 125,000 free books by other authors to school children.
Before each visit to a school, the couple uploads a video to YouTube for the students. They ask teachers to show the kids the video. “(It) makes the students feel like we’re famous because we’re on YouTube,” Swanson said, laughing.
And it works.
Swanson and Behr and their family on their Busload of Books tour. Photo courtesy of the family
“We’re visiting communities that are oftentimes overlooked,” he said. “And it means the world to the students that here are these people they think are famous coming to their school. It fills them with such excitement.”
“We know,” Swanson said, “what a valuable experience it can be to inspire kids about literacy and creativity.”
The couple said they both have a desire to use the books they write to connect with readers. That is one of the priorities of their book tour.
“Selfishly, it’s fun. We love going to work because it doesn’t feel like work,” they said. “It feels like we’re fooling someone, getting paid to make books. Beyond that, the rewards come from knowing we’re creating stories that will make kids laugh but also help them learn and grow.”
Helping children find their own voice matters to the couple.
“It’s a privilege to play a role in the lives of thousands of kids we’ll never meet. The most rewarding thing about our jobs is having a good excuse to walk into elementary schools and talk to kids about what we do and watching their eyes light up when they see that they can do it, too. After the fact, we love hearing that our visit inspired kids to start reading, writing, drawing and telling their own stories.”
Watch below for a look at the book tour in action!
