Nashville Book Connection

Nashville Book Connection (NBC) connects kids with books they love to nurture their reader identities - at home and in the classroom. NBC nurtures reader identities as students uncover a sense of pride, passion, and excitement around reading, book ownership, and shared book experiences.

Through our partnerships with local Title I elementary schools in MNPS, NBC targets individual student literacy needs by growing home libraries full of meaningful, intentionally chosen, diverse books in under-served communities. NBC books offer windows and mirrors for young readers to feel seen and see others. Our program relies on book access at home, student agency and student voice to meet individual literacy needs. Our approach is personalized, collaborative, student-centered and data-driven. The NBC BOOK CART PROGRAM brings reading excitement to K-5 students. Trained volunteers bring colorful mobile carts of new books (curated for diversity, meaning, and relevancy) to classrooms, and talk one-on-one with students about their reading interests. Students choose one book per week for six weeks to build home libraries full of books they’re excited to read. Students may also request specific books; NBC delivers requests weekly, showcasing our commitment to each student. Through the process, students explore how they see themselves as readers and grow their “reader identities” as motivated, confident and knowledgeable book owners. By empowering student voices, NBC allows readers to feel heard, shows them their interests matter, and grows connections with others around reading. When our team helps students voice their reading interests/needs, we see growth and positive connections in how they see themselves as readers. The NBC CLASSROOM PROGRAM is a resource for our educator partners. NBC works with teachers to build classroom libraries that support their teaching and learning needs. We offer additional support through read alouds and classroom activities.