Alvan, the Little Book Bus (Buford's little brother) will be on the road again this summer, helping to keep students reading all summer long! All kids --- from babies to teenagers --- are invited to come meet Alvan and pick out free books to take home and keep. The Summer 2026 schedule will be posted soon!
Alvan and Buford's Mission and Rationale:
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Mission: The mission of Alvan, the Little Book Bus, and his big brother Buford is to encourage and increase summer reading by providing new, high-interest books to students who have limited access to reading materials during the summer.
- Rationale: Research has shown that reading just five books can protect students from a drop in reading levels known as the "summer slide", which disproportionately affects lower-income students (Alexander, Entwisle, & Olson, 2007; Kim, 2004).
- Summer Slide: The effects of the summer slide are cumulative, and can have serious consequences. As much as 85% of the reading achievement gap between lower-income students and their middle- and upper-income peers can be attributed to the summer slide (Allington & McGill-Frasen, 2009).
- Year Round Reading: By creating the opportunity for children to receive high-interest books of their own, the Book Bus program strives to prevent the summer slide and encourage reading year round.
Alvan the Little Book Bus Summer Schedule
Coming Soon!
Our Partners
BIG THANKS to our flagship sponsor, Better ATX! They have been "fueling" the book bus with many, many thousands of new books donated since the program started in 2015, and they have generously provided us with our very own little book bus, Alvan. Thank you!