One of our founders, Julie Johnson, had a good friend in college named Beverly who always loved children’s books. After college, Beverly got her master’s degree in library science and became a children’s librarian in Indianapolis and then in Arlington, Virginia. Beverly was a fascinating person with an encyclopedic knowledge of many subjects. Her true love was interacting with kids and helping eac
h of them find that perfect book. In her early 40’s, Beverly was diagnosed with myotonic muscular dystrophy. She eventually was unable to work, but she continued to volunteer with children at her local library until her health deteriorated to the point where she had to move into an assisted living facility. Her health issues didn’t stop her, though, and she created a library for the other residents at her facility with books donated by her friends. Beverly died in 2020 at the age of 50. For months after that, Julie mulled over how she might honor Beverly’s memory and continue to celebrate her love of children’s literature. Enter founder Anne Pierson. Anne and Julie met through their neighborhood's book club and quickly realized they had a lot in common, including passions for children’s literature and social justice. They brainstormed and researched ideas on how to get books to people who might have access barriers, and the book bus idea was born.
