Local children’s author Betty Fitzgerald Howard left a memorable impression on kids from McKeesport Area School District’s George Washington Elementary School in telling them one of her books—Vergie Goes to School With Us Boys—drew inspiration from a great aunt who so yearned for an education that she voluntarily walked with her brothers to a school distant enough—seven miles—they had to stay for the week.

The McKeesport students heard Ms. Fitzgerald’s tale at Barnes & Noble’s Monroeville store, one of three outlets that the book retailer opened to schools the Consortium hosted throughout the week. Her emphasis on Aunt Vergie’s love of learning hit home because McKeesport chose to make the field trip a reward to first, second and third graders who were diligent in coming to school, completing homework assignments and in obeying school rules.

In addition to McKeesport’s George Washington Elementary, participating schools included; Brownsville Area School District’s Central, Cardale and Cox-Donahey elementary schools; Steel Valley’s Barrett and Park elementary schools; Bentworth Area School District’s Bentworth Elementary School; Monessen School District’s Monessen Elementary School; and Yough School District’s H.W Good, Mendon and West Newton elementary schools.

Storyteller Cynthia Battles applauds the enthusiasm of a first-grade boy who read the “Yo!” part of a book titled Yo! Yes! when Brownsville Area School District’s Central Elementary School came to see her at Barnes & Noble’s South Hills Village store

Students from Central Elementary heard Cynthia Battles, a professional storyteller from Beginning with Books, read stories. She also told some of her own invention, including a tale about a monster named Abby-Yo-Yo. Battles drew everyone into the act, interspersing the story with sing-alongs and bringing students to the stage in pairs to read parts from a book—titled Yo! Yes!—that teaches lessons about making friends. As was the case after all presentations, students also were each allowed to choose a book to take home.

Along with Battles and Fitzgerald, entertainers at the Barnes & Noble stores included: Illustrator Mark Brewer; Cartoonist & Storyteller Joe Wos; Read!365’s Readerella; and Illustrator & Storyteller David Pribish, who coordinates the Consortium’s Literacy for Life initiative.


Local storyteller Readerella shows Yough Elementary students a picture in the book she read at Barnes & Noble in Monroeville.

In conjunction with events at the Barnes & Noble stores in Monroeville, South Hills Village and the Waterfront, the Consortium collected new and gently used children’s book as part of an initiative known as The Fifth Food Group … Food for the Mind that it launched seven years ago with a goal of distributing a million books to needy children within a decade. With the help of more than 60 local businesses and organizations that conduct book drives, the Consortium has collected more than 614,000 books to date. The books are distributed through the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank’s 340 neighborhood food pantries. Any company or organization that would like to participate can call David Pribish at 412-678-9215. All books collected can also be dropped off at any Guardian Storage Solution facility in the Greater Pittsburgh Region.


For the Love of Books also held two Act 48 professional development sessions for educators.