Do you remember the first books that you owned? Last Saturday, young readers in our Barnacle’s Bookworms workshop took home some special books donated by the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation through the “A Book Just For Me!” program.

“When I started working for Ella Fitzgerald, back in the ‘nineties, I was absolutely amazed at how many books she had in her Beverly Hills home. Books stacked on the coffee table, books by the fireplace, books in the cabinets–and overflowing bookshelves,” wrote Fran E. Morris Rossman, Executive Director of the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation. “Ella loved to read.”

The foundation that the “First Lady of Song” founded in 1993 donates books to give to students to more than 100 nonprofit organizations across the country.

When students arrived at Barnacle’s Bookworms last Saturday, Ella Fitzgerald’s unforgettable music welcomed them into the room. Each young reader received their very own books to take home, specially suited to their interests and reading levels. They excitedly flipped through the pages of their new books before reading them one-on-one with volunteers.

826LA thanks the Ella Fitzgerald Charitable Foundation for their generous gift and for inspiring budding bibliophiles to read! For more information about the foundation, visit www.ellafitzgeraldfoundation.org.

Anthony holds his very own book for the first time.