This is a guest post from Sara Martini, Media Specialist at Westwood Elementary in St. Cloud.

Last spring, I was given a grant by CMLE to spend $1,000.00 to purchase books to increase the diversity in our PAKRAT (Partners and Kids Reading Alot Together) program at Westwood Elementary School in St. Cloud. 

This grant was so exciting to receive, and I was able to purchase 160 new books in which every student in our school can see themselves represented in the books they can pick out to take home to share with their families. 

Our families at Westwood have read almost 8,000 books this school year as part of our PAKRAT program! In fact, one student told me that her mom told her to thank me for having so many girls wearing hijabs in the books we were sending home.  Representation matters!  Thank you so much!