May 2025 Newsletter

May 21, 2025 | Newsletter

It's a Page Turner

Take Me Out to the Ballgame (for Free with a Book)!

Books and baseball—a winning combination. On April 13th and April 27th , students who brought a copy of Little Rhino: My New Team to Harbor Park Stadium received free admission to the Norfolk Tides baseball game. Dozens of area families took advantage of this special offer from the Tides to enjoy a Sunday afternoon at the ballpark.

These events marked the culmination of the highly successful spring All District Reads program. More than 30,000 elementary families in Norfolk, Suffolk, and Portsmouth all read Little Rhino: My New Team, a baseball-themed book written by 2006 Major League Baseball MVP Ryan Howard and his wife, Krystle Howard, a former elementary school teacher. The Howards graciously did a Zoom interview to help kick off the spring reading program. (See next article for excerpts from that interview.)

All District Reads had a table at both Tides games and gave out free copies of several different books. Special thanks to Scholastic for donating 100 copies of My Baseball Book by Gail Gibbons for distribution at the April 27th game. Many families stopped by the booth to get books and talk at both games, including several families who had just finished reading Little Rhino. Heather McKeating, Director of Community Relations for the Tides, said that the Tides like to do community outreach, and the partnership with All District is “a perfect fit.”

For further details, read this article on the All District Reads website.

“Books First, Baseball Second”

Just before elementary school families in Suffolk, Norfolk, and Portsmouth began reading Little Rhino: My New Team, authors Ryan and Krystle Howard did a Zoom interview discussing their book and expressing their excitement about its selection for use in the All District Reads program. Here are a few quotes from that interview:

  • Ryan: “I remember my parents would say, ‘If you don’t get that homework done, there’s no practice, there’s no games…You have to get all your homework done first and foremost before you go do anything else.”
  • Krystle: “The whole theme of ‘books first, baseball second’ you’ll read a lot through the series because we wanted to make sure that was a strong, powerful statement and message throughout the series.”
  • Ryan: “We wanted it (our book) to be able to help people. If it was able to help one kid, then it did the job. For it to be able to be a part of the All District Reads program is more than we ever could have.”

Listen to two brief excerpts from the interview on this page of the All District Reads website.

Ryan and Krystle Howard

Authors of Little Rhino, Ryan Howard and Krystle Howard

In other media coverage, an article by Larry Rubama in the Virginian-Pilot on March 19th
featured All District Reads and the March 10th Zoom interview with Ryan and Krystle Howard, coauthors of the Little Rhino series. Access the article on the homepage of the All District Reads website.
The Zoom interview with Ryan and Krystle Howard drew attendees from several other media
outlets as well. Read and watch WAVY’s coverage by Robert Rizzo here.

Support All District Reads by Supporting Suds & Buds Event on May 22nd

Food from some 20 local restaurants and trucks. Music by Lewis McGehee. Access to the
Norfolk Botanical Garden, featuring beautiful roses in full bloom. The chance to support three local charities, including All District Reads. What other reasons could you possibly need to attend the Rotary Club of Norfolk’s Suds & Buds 2025 Party, sponsored by TowneBank? The event takes place on May 22nd from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Norfolk Botanical Garden.

Admission includes two tickets for either beer or wine and a souvenir beer or wine glass.
Proceeds from the event benefit Norfolk Rotary Charities, Norfolk Botanical Garden, and All
District Reads. Learn more and register here.

Suds & Buds Event Logo

Celebrate Get Caught Reading Month

  • Place books for all ages in the car.
  • Unplug and visit your local library.
  • Make time to read with your kids.

These are just a few ways to celebrate Get Caught Reading Month in May. Founded by the Association of American Publishers in 1999 and now managed by Every Child a Reader, the goal is to encourage people of all ages to read for pleasure.

All District Reads is celebrating Get Caught Reading Month, too. Send us a photo of YOUR family “getting caught reading” and tag us on social media. One lucky winner will receive a gift package of books and have their photo featured on the All District Reads website and on our social media feed. Send your photo to info@alldistrictreads.org, and happy reading!

Other News about Reading and Literacy

Reading: It’s Important, but…. According to a new NPR/Ipsos poll, 82% of respondents think reading is a useful way to learn about the world. A whopping 98% of respondents with children in their household want their children “to develop a love of reading.” Despite that, barely half of all respondents (51%) reported that they had read a book or ebook in the last month. Learn more in this article by NPR’s Andrew Limbong.

Hit the Trail—the Literary Virginia Trail

From Roanoke to Chincoteague—the Literary Virginia trail features six prominent authors with Virginia ties: Booker T. Washington, Earl Hamner (The Waltons), Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Edgar Allan Poe, and Marguerite Henry.

Families with elementary age children may most want to visit Miss Molly’s Inn in Chincoteague. There Marguerite Henry wrote the classic children’s book Misty of Chincoteague, one of the most famous horse stories of all time. In late July each year, thousands of people from across the world gather to watch the Chincoteague Volunteer Firemen (known as the Saltwater Cowboys) herd and swim ponies across the Assateague Channel to Chincoteague. Learn more about this stop on the Literary Virginia trail 

Literacy Quote

“Reading should not be presented to children as a chore, a duty.  It should be offered as a gift.”

Kate DiCamillo, Newbery Medal-winning author of Because of Winn-Dixie, The Tale of Despereaux, and more than 20 other novels

Reminder: YOU Can Help US Spark the Love of Reading

Want to support ADR’s mission to connect communities to local elementary students through the All District Reads program? Here are two easy ways.

Visit the ADR website: Consider supporting our work by making a monthly donation or by giving a one-time gift of any size. Visit the ADR Donations page to learn more.

Donate Now

Consider a gift of stock: Gifts of appreciated stock can provide many tax benefits to donors. Please speak to your financial advisor to learn about the benefits and arrange a donation to All District Reads. We work with TowneBank Wealth Management to assist with transfer of stock/securities.  To make a stock gift, please contact us at info@alldistrictreads.org or (757) 250-2774.