So this post has two parts: a short part (a straightforward invitation) and a long part (the "why" behind the invite).
I hope you stick around for the whole read. I hope the post inspires you in some way.
As a reward, I will keep the rest of the week's post very, very short.
The invitation
You are invited celebrate Bertrand the Mouse’s birthday!
Santa will distribute free ice cream from 1 to 3 p.m. or while supplies last.
Other books in the BryonySeries also available for purchase.
Can't attend but still want to send a gift? Message us at bryonyseries@gmail.com and we can work something out.
The "why"
Most people haven't heard the story I'm about to tell. But I'm telling it now since it might help Santa help kids.
The idea of donating BryonySeries books and WriteOn Joliet anthologies originated from the pandemic.
I had broken my toe late December 2020 and was still hobbling around in early February when Timothy and I decided place some Bertrand the Mouse and Cornell Dyer books in Little Free libraries all around Joliet.
As we drove and talked and placed, I told him I hp[ed to bless a classroom in Joliet Public Schools District 86 with a free book for every child. Remote learning had been hard on kids, and I wanted to encourage their love of reading with books that were written by someone who had grown up loving books.
The pandemic had also been hard on small businesses, and we wanted to help a small business, too.
So I wound up adopting a fourth grade classroom at Sandburg Elementary School that March (I had a procedure in February and put the donation on hold). Each student received a Cornell Dyer book.
And Timothy designed a BryonySeries $5 gift card so the students could pick out another book of their choice, any book, at The Book Market in Crest Hill. The gift cards were pre-paid with the owner. so even if a child did not redeem the card, the store made money for the effort.
The following month, I received a check in the mail. I had been overcharged for the procedure. Well, since I had already written that money off, I decided to donate more books with it.
So I contacted The Timbers of Shorewood and asked if it would like some anthologies for its residents. Remember, this was April 2021 and social interaction was still limited.
The Timbers actually DID want anthologies and wanted to know if I could send thirty, one anthology for each member of its book club. I had enough money for send sixty books (two for each resident). I sent thirty of the regular anthologies for that year and thirty of the special "baby cheetah" anthologies. (Yes, I was overcharged that much).
Side note: The Timbers showed their appreciation with quite the reception in September 2022. That event was the inspirational seed for WriteOn Joliet's radio play. So everyone was blessed by that donation.
Fast forward to them 2021 holidays. One of my adult sons received a promotion and blessed a classroom at District 202 in Plainfield in early 2022, one Cornell book for each of the students.
And he also blessed a kindergarten classroom at Troy 30-C this past spring, one Bertrand's Silly ABC book for each student (the teacher's pick).
In December 2021, WriteOn Joliet also had its new anthology out (we release one every year). So I asked Senior Star at Weber Place in Romeoville (which is not called that anymore) if they would l like any anthologies. They would - please send one hundred and fifty.
Yes, that is correct. We sent one hundred and fifty WriteOn Joliet anthologies, which pretty much tanked my BryonySeries marketing budget for awhile.
The budget recovered enough by February to offer this book as a gift to anyone who requested it as our Calkins Day gift to the recipient, good through the end of February 2022, since Calkins Day was once again on Zoom.
I really didn't think anyone would request a book...and for half a month no one did. But then a few people shared it on a few freebie sites. We shipped sixty. WHEW!
The following May, we as an entire family "adopted" A.O. Marshall Elementary School in Joliet. That means each student received a Bertrand the Mouse book or a Cornell Dyer book, depending on the age, grade, and reading abilities of the children.
Yes, you read that correctly. We gave a book to each child in that school. I have the "thank you" letter from the district for anyone who'd like to see it.
Then last November, I gave almost my entire stock of Bertrand the Mouse books (eighty-four books in all) To Jerry Curl of Santa Services to distribute to children (some of whom have special needs) as well as to adults with special needs.
This spring, we gave him another one hundred and fifty books of this Bertrand the Mouse title.
In May, we had a small donation from a customer at Bicentennial Park. Then we had another small donation from a customer at New Orleans North.
I'm sure you know where this is going.
We turned those donations into a carnival-themed giveaway on July 3 at Bicentennial Park. And when we ran out of donation money, we kept giving away the books. I've never seen so many people at one event so happy to receive a free book.
So how can we afford to give away so many books?
Well, it's not because sales are through the roof (I wish!) because proceeds from all sales go back into production).
We're able to giveaway books because I take on some side work from time to time. And it's not the first time we've done that. Here's why.
Years ago, I wrote a story on a young woman in her twenties. She worked a full-time job to support herself. And she worked a part-time job in order to buy food and clothes to give to those in need.
At the time I wrote that story, I was working two jobs and homeschooling four of my six children. I could not emulate her then. And I did not emulate her for many years.
But then our family belonged to a small, dying church that could not afford to run a religious education program and a youth group. The large and small hall needed painting. And so forth.
So we did it. All of it. With our own money, earned from extra work, we bought everything from paint to kitchen and art supplies to remodeling and furnishing three outbuildings (and constructing a fourth) on our property.
We hired a major Christian artist to sing karaoke to the kids on our back porch (We have the video to prove it). And we hired two major Christian artists for a free concert at Bicentennial Park (we rented out the theater).
So back to the books.
Whenever people asked me for help with their manuscripts, I generally turned them down due to lack of time. Still, I did edit this novel before the pandemic, which is an amazing ready, by the way. And I did help a Joliet woman write her memoir.
And then in April 2020, I was approached by an acquaintance to edit his travel book, and he refused to take my "no" as an answer.
I prayed on it, accepted, and have since completed additional carefully curated projects at a highly discounted editing rate (less than minimum wage), which we turn into book donations. This way, we bless writers and readers at the same time.
In fact, Rebekah even made a website for our project just to put all the information in one place. I say "our," because she has the production skills.
However, as I'm sure you've figured out by now, donating books on this level is not sustainable over a very long time.
But it's a really valuable endeavor. Check out this post regarding the literacy problem in the United States.
Jerry Curl of Santa Services said he and his four other Santas interacted with thousands of children last year. He recently sent me this email:
Good evening, Denise,
I would like to thank you for your donation of the books over the course of the last year, for both our story time with Santa events as well as our Easter Bunny events.
The story time with Santa events that we held as fundraisers are always a hit with the children as Santa and Mrs. Claus read to the children from a variety of different books.
Through sponsorships like yours, we are able to supply small gifts, as well as crafts and refreshments. I look forward to working with you in the future and again thank you for all that you do to help our program.
Looking forward to our committed date of August 19th ice cream with Santa fundraiser.
I hope you have a great day and again thank you for all
that you do.
Bertrand the Mouse's sole mission is to introduce children to the joys of reading.
And, no, I will not profit from any of the Bertrand the Mouse books guests buy for Santa on August 19. Here's why.
We sell the Bertrand books for $5 a copy, which is nearly at cost. The books will go through The Book Market register as a consignment, which is forty percent. So we will actually lose on the event.
But that's OK.
Because your gift will help Santa make a child smile and maybe, just maybe, encourage a child to pick up another book by another author...and maybe then another. This is a really good value for $5.
You may personalize your gift by writing a note inside the book, if you like
And Santa will make you smile with free ice cream on August 19. Everyone is on his "nice" list that day, whether or not they buy a book. (We are buying the ice cream, too).
Because, trust me, I have already ordered lots of books. They are on their way to my home as I write this. Either way, those books are leaving with Santa on August 19.
Santa will not leave Bertrand's birthday party empty-handed.
And all those Bertrand books will find their way into the hands of children this holiday season.
