Pre-K through 5th grade students and teachers at Priority elementary schools in Tennessee will be able to “shop” for books and literacy resources, at no cost, through Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation’s OWL Fest, in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Education.

Nashville, Tenn. – Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation, in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Education (TDOE), announces the second year of Opportunities with Literacy (OWL) Fest, a curated bookstore and shopping experience that will travel to 39 Priority elementary schools across Tennessee in September. To build home libraries and encourage a love of reading in children, OWL Fest is a one-day event at each school, giving students the opportunity to select books to take home, at no cost to families or schools. Tennessee remains the only state in the U.S. to offer a statewide initiative like OWL Fest.

In collaboration with Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, Pre-K through 5th grade students will be able to select six high-quality, high-interest books to take home, and teachers will be provided resources to support their classrooms. Through OWL Fest, more than 17,000 students, teachers, and reading specialists will receive over 102,000 books, at no cost.

Currently, less than half of Tennessee 3rd graders read proficiently, with rates in Priority schools ranging from 22-38%. A two-decade long study found that the presence of a home library increases children’s academic success, vocabulary development, attention, and job attainment. Children with as few as 25 books in the home complete an average of two more years of schooling than those with no books.

Additionally, research from the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report™: 8th Edition shows that the majority of kids (92%) say their favorite books are the ones they picked out themselves, and they are more likely to finish reading a book (93%) that they have picked out themselves, making the student-selection feature of OWL Fest more critical than ever.

OWL Fest is a continuation of GELF’s K-3 Home Library program, which aims to build home libraries and strengthen early literacy by delivering books to the homes of students and teachers each summer. In 2024, the program delivered 1.3 million books to more than 230,000 students, teachers, librarians, and media specialists statewide, including Priority schools.

“Our mission is to promote a culture of reading across Tennessee by ensuring students have access to the books and resources they need to develop a love of reading and learning,” said James Pond, President of GELF. “OWL Fest brings the joy and excitement of choosing your own books directly to students who may not have this opportunity otherwise. It’s not just about providing books—it’s about giving kids a love of reading and ownership of their literacy journey, ultimately, setting them on a path for future success.”

"We know reading on grade level is the cornerstone of a child's education and the basis of their postsecondary success," said Lizzette Reynolds, Commissioner of Education. "Thanks to partners like GELF and Scholastic, students and teachers across the state have a very special opportunity at OWL Fest to have access to books and resources for the classroom for free."

“Four decades of research with children of all ages, in varied socioeconomic and cultural groups, reveal that access to books in the home is one of the strongest predictors of educational achievement,” said Amanda Alexander, Chief Academic Officer at Scholastic. “Scholastic is proud to work with the Governor’s Early Literacy Foundation and Tennessee Department of Education to ensure the students of Tennessee have access to books at home that not only unlock the power and joy of reading but support them academically.”