Redbery Books

Yesterday, I had a conversation with a customer about the knitted scarf she was wearing and made by her adult son. (Yes, it was cold enough to be wearing a scarf). We talked about how no one ever forgets the aunt, the colleague or the grandma who taught one to knit. And don’t you remember the handmade knitted gifts you received, whether they fit or not?  One of my favorites was a gold sweater with a purple K (for my hometown) fashioned after the pep-club sweater the high school girls wore. It might be nerdy today but it was important those many years ago.  Soon after, the aunt who made the sweater sat down with me and taught me how to knit. I was eight years old.      

The conversation then turned to books and how similar the two experiences of reading and knitting can be, especially when in the formative stages. I’m guessing we all have early reading experiences and favorite books that had some sort of impact on us.  Or maybe just the lucky ones did? Often the life-long passion for either one comes from one moment, one memory, or one experience.  It can belong to any group, any socio-economic level, any race, or any ability. Our wish is that every adult has a child in her/his life to pass the spark  Redbery’s mission is to help promote the possibilities. Story times, Books and Babies, GrandReads, and a kid-friendly atmosphere are just some of the ways we try to make that happen.

Our GrandReads program is for adults who want to have that sort of connection to a special child in their lives.  When a child is in enrolled in the program, he/she receives a book in the mail on a regular basis, depending on the frequency selected.What sets this book club apart from others is that the child receives a book especially selected to interests based on information we receive from the adult. In addition, an email with talking points about the book to encourage conversation between the adult and child is sent to the adult. Click on grandreads on the menu bar at the top of this page for more detail.

Nerdy or not, we love what we do, almost as much as the goldsweater.