Halloween 2001 we gave out more than 1200 books to Willow Glen trick-or-treaters on Lincoln Ave. accompanied by Mayor Ron Gonzales and Councilman Ken Yeager. In '02 we gave out over 1500 books, supported by the Diabetes Association. In '03 and '04 we gave out nearly 3000 books on Lincoln Avenue. And in '05 and '06 we ran out of books after giving out 3500. In '07 we expanded to give books in San Jose's east side at Ida Jew School, as well as on Lincoln Ave., and distributed 6500 books to excited costumed children. Mayor Chuck Reed and Councilman Pierluigi Oliverio joined in greeting the kids and happy parents.

We were featured in the media to nearly 2 million viewers/listerners/readers. Take a peek at some great pictures and links to some of the stories from our Media/News page. Mike Cassidy wrote a column in the San Jose Mercury News about Books For Treats, as well as in his blog. Read the article about Books For Treats published in the June/July '07 American Association for the Advancement of Science magazine.

What is Books For Treats?
Books for Treats is a program that encourages you to give "gently read" children's books at Halloween instead of candy.

Why give children books instead of candy at Halloween?
Books feed children's minds, while candy only feeds their cavities. Books encourage children to read, and parents to read with them and/or ask them about their books. Many children rarely receive books as gifts, so even gently read books are special treats.

Why would I want to go to the trouble of giving books? Candy is much easier to buy.
Do you recycle? If so, do you think it is a lot of work? No. You believe in supporting the planet by recycling materials so they don't go into the landfill. Books For Treats takes a little more time than buying a giant bag of candy, but if you believe that you can help turn Halloween from a cavity-, obesity-, diabeties-contributing holiday into one that shows that society cares about our children, then it's worth the extra effort.

Giving books instead of candy shows kids you care about them and are encouraging them to read. This not only helps raise their interest in reading, but raises their sense that the community cares about their future.

Why is candy a problem?
Recent statistics show that annually Americans spend $950 million on Halloween candy, and that 20 million pounds of candy corn alone is purchased. The average person spends nearly $15 on the Halloween candy -- much of it being consumed before Halloween by the adults or their kids. Childhood diabetes is increasing alarmingly. Couple that with data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which show that today at least one in four children are 20% or more heavier than their ideal weight. It is clear that we do not need to be giving children more candy. We need a healthy alternative -- one that "feeds kids' minds, not their cavities!"

Parents complain that their kids are hyper before and after Halloween as they eat so many more sweets than usual. Parents have to limit the amount of candy the kids can eat, which creates fights, crying and problems. There are safety concerns as well. Many parents either throw away unwanted candy or bring it to work for their coworkers to eat! Not a good solution.

Many adults find Halloween candy is a problem for them, as some eat it before Halloween, or eat leftover candy from their kids' bags, or it is brought to work by coworkers. Just think of the favor you'll be doing for your waistline by not having Halloween candy to contend with!

How would I get inexpensive books? Kids' books are expensive!
Gather clean, re-usable, gently read children's books from garage sales, library book sales, used book stores, thrift stores, and/or by having your children contribute their outgrown books. By recycling your kids' books, you allow these books to continue to give pleasure, long after your child has outgrown them.

Many libraries have regular book sales. Call your nearest branch to see when the next sale is. A common library-sale price is $1/inch (stack up the books and measure along the spines). You can get 2-10 books for $1, depending on their thickness, so for the price of a candy bar you can give "brain candy" instead. If you need to suppliment your own books, take inventory of how many you already have in each age category, so you'll know how many more you'll need for your trick-or-treaters. For guidance on how to tell the age levels of the books you have, download our kit, as guidelines are in it.

Why give gently read books instead of new books? Won't kids think that is cheesy?
Our experience is that kids appreciate books, even gently read books, as long as they are in good shape. You'll need to screen the books to make sure the books aren't ripped or marked up, although they may have the previous owner's name in the front and/or the stamp from the library.

What will the kids think about getting books instead of candy?
Our experience is that kids, as well as their parents, are thrilled by receiving books for treats. They are much more enthusiastic than we have ever seen them when we gave candy. We have witnessed many children running to the sidewalk waiving a new treasure yelling "Mom, look! I got a book!" We also saw a group of kids standing on the sidewalk showing each other their books. And we heard one girl greet a friend coming from the other direction "Hey, this house gives books! Cool!"

When asked what she thought of Books For Treats, seven-year-old Alana said "I like books better than candy. A book lasts a long time and candy is gone in a bite! And I can sit on my daddy's lap and read the book over and over with him."

"Next year I am going to do again. The kids were excited to get something other than candy and books were the treat. I just loved their looks of surprise when the 'book basket' came out and they could pick the one they wanted."

How do I get involved?