Inspiring Young Readers
kwame mbalia and nikkolas smith presenting “a hero looks like you’ at belle haven elementary in east palo alto, february 2025
Our goal is to champion and preserve the joy of reading for generations to come! Thanks to tax-deductible gifts from generous donors in our community, we can partner with under-resourced school districts and community centers in our area, especially the Ravenswood School District in East Palo Alto. For the past decade, we’ve brought award-winning authors to public school campuses to share great stories and spark a love of reading. Over 15,000 students have participated in these programs, and we have donated more than 5,000 books to the schools’ libraries, classrooms and children.
shawn harris at belle haven community campus, march 2025
Kepler’s prides itself on our innovative spirit, and the post-pandemic educational landscape demands constant innovation. As we continue to evaluate and reframe our strategy for nurturing young readers and strengthening our surrounding community through books, we have arrived at certain programming focus areas that include:
Off-site events with blockbuster children’s authors, such as Rick Riordan and Shannon Messenger.
Pairing with community organizations that serve youth in historically marginalized populations, to provide librarian-led programming and free copies of books in which those youth can see their own experiences reflected and explored.
In-store events that connect children’s authors with school librarians from our neighborhood schools, giving those often-unsung heroes a chance to shine and to celebrate their school community at Kepler’s.
Occasional author visits to public school classrooms, with preference for bestselling children’s authors in the SF Bay Area.
students in palo park receiving free copies of rick riordan’s '“wrath of the triple goddess”, september 2024