Getting Kids Hooked on Books

Ted Chaudoir wll receive a state literacy award in February for his initiative in putting books in the hands of children riding buses in the Southern Door School District.

A simple book recycling idea has netted Southern Door School District bus driver Ted Chaudoir a 2014 Celebrate Literacy Individual Award from the Wisconsin State Reading Association (WRSA). The award is for an individual who exemplifies efforts beyond his/her normal duties to promote literacy in their community.

As reported in an October 2012 Pulse feature story, “Driving Kids to Read” by Matt Ledger, Chaudoir and his wife, Dee, had a box of children’s books after cleaning out their daughter’s room. Instead of donating them to a thrift store, Chaudoir decided to bring them aboard the school bus he drives.

“It started with just having books from our daughter we wanted other kids to enjoy,” Chaudoir said recently, after learning he was getting the award. “The interest they showed inspired me to expand it. They were asking for more books. It took on a life of its own. It proved to be something the kids really, really liked. Then when the public learned about it through the Peninsula Pulse, it struck such a chord. It was like a mandate.”

The result, he said, is that kids come to school now with a greater desire to have a book in their hands.

“It’s amazing at that age, 4 to 8 years old, they are enthused to have that book,” he said “I have a lot of kids that say, ‘Can I take this home?’ Absolutely, you can take it home. When you’re done reading, share the books. I’ve had little kids bring bags of books.”

This year Chaudoir began encouraging middle schoolers to sit with the younger children and read to them.

“If they’re interested in sitting with one of my youngest students and read with them, just a couple times a week, I’ll let them sit anywhere they want on Friday. With a little encouragement there, they get a kick out of reading to those kids.”

Chaudoir has been driving a bus since January 2000, and Dee has been driving a bus regularly for about the last 10 years.

“She’s been involved with it right along with me, creating a logo for it, and creating a stamp for all books on the bus so they aren’t confused with school library books,” Chaudoir said.

Now they’re trying to come up with a way to make it convenient for all 16 bus drivers working for the Southern Door District, and, really, school bus drivers anywhere.

“In order to get good participation by bus drivers you have to make it a very convenient program to operate,” Chaudoir said. “When the buses are rolling, you can’t be dispensing books to kids. So we’re developing a seat pocket on the back of the first three rows of seats that we will be able to stock with age-appropriate books.”

Kathy Carpenter and Nancy Walsh-Boeder, WSRA Awards and Honors co-chairs, commenting on Chaudoir’s nomination, said, “It was a rare treat to know that there are creative people such as Ted working hard to make a difference in children’s lives.”

Chaudoir will receive his award in a special ceremony at the 2014 WSRA Convention in Milwaukee on Feb. 6.