Access Books Bay Area

06/04/2026

Our latest refurbishment at Roosevelt Elementary School in Redwood City School District was featured on local news!

Thank you Redwood City Pulse for the thoughtful coverage of our work — every feature helps us spread the word & get high-quality books in the hands of more young readers!

📚At Access Books Bay Area, we strive to provide children attending under-funded schools increased access to diverse, high-quality books, so they can experience the magic of reading. Find out more on our website: accessbooksbayarea.org

Photo Credits: Neil Gonzales

A revitalization project is transforming the library at Roosevelt Elementary in Redwood City into a reading wonderland inside and out.

06/03/2026

Beth Berlin-Stephens, Redwood City School District (RCSD) Teacher-Librarian, took time out of a busy Refurbishment Day at Roosevelt Elementary School to chat with us about the ways in which the new books and resources could inspire students to read for enjoyment, beyond academic requirements and how the refurbished library spaces support a sense of belonging and community.

05/28/2026

Celebrate Latino Books Month by exploring stories that honor culture, resilience, and identity. Latino authors offer powerful voices that enrich our understanding of history and community. This month’s featured books come from our April 2026 donation to Roosevelt Elementary School’s library refurbishment.

In Grow Up, Luchy Zapata, Luchy Zapata is thrilled to start middle school with her two best friends by her side. But when her best friend Cami comes back from a summer trip to Colombia acting totally different, chasing "cool" new friends and suddenly finding everything Luchy and Mateo do way too immature, Luchy's perfect middle school vision starts to fall apart. Now Luchy is on a mission to remind Cami just how special their friendship really is.

Grow Up, Luchy Zapata is a funny and deeply relatable story about the pains of changing friendships. This book beautifully captures themes of friendship while also celebrating Latino culture and the bittersweet reality of growing up. We hope this book wonderful book finds its way to your library at home.

At Access Books Bay Area, we strive to provide children attending under-funded schools increased access to diverse, high-quality books, so they can experience the magic of reading. Donate, volunteer or get involved in other ways. Find out more on our website: accessbooksbayarea.org

Redwood City School District Roosevelt Elementary School
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05/27/2026

From tracing the artwork to the finished murals (swipe to the end), creating these pieces at Roosevelt Elementary School in the Redwood City School District was such a rewarding experience!

A huge thank you to Dunn-Edwards Paints for the incredible selection of quality paints that helped bring this vision to life 🎨✨ Kudos to Peyton Carpenter, Library Media Technical Assistant at Roosevelt, the creative mind behind these six beautiful murals inside the Roosevelt School Library.

We’re deeply grateful to our incredible volunteers and supporters because none of this would have been possible without you. 💛💛

Photo Credits: Steven Shpall

05/27/2026

Tina Mercer, principal of Roosevelt Elementary School, talks about the importance of school libraries & shares the impact our latest refurbishment will have on her students! Redwood City School District Roosevelt Elementary School

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At Access Books Bay Area, we strive to provide children attending under-funded schools increased access to diverse, high-quality books, so they can experience the magic of reading. Find out more on our website: accessbooksbayarea.org (link in bio).

05/21/2026

Meet Nicole Somin; our Web Design volunteer! Nicole is a student at New York University pursuing a degree in Computer Science/Economics and generously donates her time and her skills in Computer Science to help kids find their love for reading! Learn more about her below:

1. ✨What do you love most about your work with Access Books Bay Area?
📙 At Access Books Bay Area, I love that I am able to keep people updated about the recent volunteering projects as well as any type of events our organization puts together. Being able to use my skills to share important community work across social media and make it more accessible for others to participate and help is something I am very proud of.

2. ✨What's a fun fact about you?
📙 I can solve a Rubik’s cube in under a minute!

3 ✨What's your favorite childhood book?
📙 Looking for Alaska by John Green

In our ‘Meet the Team’ posts we highlight the efforts of the people working behind the scenes to bring our visions to fruition. Stay tuned for the next one!

05/19/2026

Access Books Bay Area is looking for a Social Media Marketing Volunteer to join our Marketing & Communications team! 📱✨

Help create engaging content, support campaigns for events and fundraisers, and grow our presence on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. We’re looking for a creative, people-focused storyteller who’s excited to help expand community engagement and support our mission. If you’re passionate about social media, collaboration, and literacy advocacy, we’d love to hear from you.
Apply: https://www.accessbooksbayarea.org/events/social-media-marketing-volunteer

At Access Books Bay Area, we strive to provide children attending under-funded schools increased access to diverse, high-quality books, so they can experience the magic of reading. Donate, volunteer or get involved in other ways. Find out more on our website: accessbooksbayarea.org

05/14/2026

On April 25, we completed our latest school library refurbishment at Roosevelt Elementary School in Redwood City School District. We donated 1,211 curated new English and Spanish-language books for the school library, along with 600 gently used books to help restock classroom libraries across the campus. We also livened up the space with six beautiful murals, designed by Peyton Carpenter, the school's Library Media Technical Assistant (LMTA).

Now, students are already making the most of their new books and refreshed space — the smiles on their faces say it all!

Photo Credits: Steven Shpall

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At Access Books Bay Area, we strive to provide children attending under-funded schools increased access to diverse, high-quality books, so they can experience the magic of reading. Find out more on our website: accessbooksbayarea.org (link in bio).

05/12/2026

📚 Latino Book of the Month #2: Cruzita and the Mariacheros
A Pura Belpré Honor Book and ALSC Notable Children's Book 2025.

Celebrate Latino Books Month by exploring stories that honor culture, resilience, and identity. Latino authors offer powerful voices that enrich our understanding of history and community. This month’s featured books come from our April 2026 donation to Roosevelt Elementary School’s library refurbishment.

When Cruzita is pulled away from her plans to win a theme park singing contest, she's stuck spending the summer at her family's struggling bakery, grieving the loss of Tío Chuy, the great-uncle whose love kept the place alive. Thrown into mariachi lessons despite not knowing how to play her great-grandpa's violin or speak fluent Spanish, she's certain the summer is ruined. But through the rich traditions of mariachi music, Cruzita begins to understand what legacy really means and discovers that the path to becoming a star might look very different from what she imagined.

This coming-of-age story dives into themes of family, culture, identity, and loss with a mature lens. Cruzita's journey is equal parts funny and tender, capturing what it feels like to be caught between your own dreams and the expectations of the people you love most.

Help us get inclusive, diverse books in the hands of underserved children in the Bay Area. Donate, volunteer or get involved in other ways. Find out more on our website: accessbooksbayarea.org.

Roosevelt Elementary School Redwood City School District
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05/07/2026

📚 Latino Book of the Month #1: El Barrilito Mágico de Papá (Papá's Magical Water-Jug Clock)
Celebrate Latino Books Month by exploring stories that honor culture, resilience, and identity. Latino authors offer powerful voices that enrich our understanding of history and community. This month’s featured books come from our April 2026 donation to Roosevelt Elementary School’s library refurbishment.

We’re highlighting El Barrilito Mágico de Papá (Papá's Magical Water-Jug Clock) by Jesus Trejo, illustrated by Eliza Kinkz. In this Spanish-language picture book by comedian Jesús Trejo, little Jesús is thrilled to help his papá at work. Put in charge of a “magical” water jug Jesús means well, however can’t resist helping a few thirsty animals along the way. When the jug runs dry too soon, a funny mistake turns into a heartfelt lesson. A warm, playful story full of humor and heart.

Also, El Barrilito Mágico de Papá is a 2024 Pura Belpré Honor Book for both illustration and text. Pura Belpré winners are an excellent source of fabulous children’s books by and about Latinos.

At Access Books Bay Area, we strive to provide children attending under-funded schools increased access to diverse, high-quality books, so they can experience the magic of reading. Donate, volunteer or get involved in other ways. Find out more on our website: accessbooksbayarea.org.

Redwood City School District Roosevelt Elementary School
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