On Friday, April 5th, SLPS and Nine PBS teamed up to bring 36,000 books for the 2023-24 school year. This special collaboration between SLPS and Nine PBS highlights their joint commitment to literacy and education through the "Literacy for the Lou" campaign.

Among the books delivered, were locally made comic books called Drawn In. Created with the help of Lion Forge Animation, the team behind the Oscar-winning Hair Love, Drawn In offers animated videos, print and digital comic books, and fun educational games—all available on a special website.

Dr. Keisha Scarlett, SLPS Superintendent, was very excited about this initiative. She said, "This partnership with Nine PBS and the Drawn In series shows how much our community cares about helping our youngest learners love reading. By adding these exciting stories to our 'Literacy for the Lou' campaign, we're making reading fun and improving our students' skills at the same time."

The final book delivery of the school year included "Drawn In Issue #8: The Best Chef" and some mental wellness magnets, showing how much SLPS cares about the whole well-being of its students. Every pre-K through 3rd-grade student in the district will receive a book and a magnet!

This partnership between Nine PBS and Saint Louis Public Schools is a natural fit. "For almost 70 years, Nine PBS has been dedicated to making our region thrive, and giving every child chances to learn is really important to us," said Amy Shaw, President and CEO of Nine PBS. "We're proud to have worked with Saint Louis Public Schools to bring Drawn In to life for kids all over St. Louis. It’s not just about books; it’s about investing in our children and our city's future, letting readers explore new worlds through reading and creativity."

For more info about the "Literacy for the Lou" campaign and the "Drawn In" series, visit www.slps.org/LiteracyForTheLou and www.ninepbs.org/DrawnIn. Let's keep the love for reading going strong!