You can help by donating books!
By donating good quality, well-chosen second-hand books to the Israel Book Project,
you are not only helping Israeli children read – you are showing them that you care.
Children and their families in public and private schools, K-12, are asked to donate
one or more of their favorite English-language children’s books to children in Israel. 

Guidelines for Screening Books and Materials
to be Donated to the Project

It is helpful if parents, teachers, and others help screen the books for appropriateness 
The books sent are a measure of care. 
Please consider the children reading these books when determining what to send.  
Our goal is for Israeli children from all communities to read as many books as possible.  
 
We hope these guidelines will help answer questions about what books are most needed:
 
·         The best reading books to send will usually be those that young people themselves 
recommend and choose to share (fiction, mystery, science-fiction, autobiography, etc.);
 
·         Junior and senior high schools throughout Israel are also now in need of encylopedias
science, and history books for use in the mandatory research projects. 
All our school districts therefore request children's encylopedias of all kinds,
children's science books that explain anthropology, astrology, biology, or any other subject 
on the level that native English speaking children grade school to high school could understand.  
They also need history books on any particular subject, such as history of music, 
art, film, printing, the manufacture of paper, fashion, technology, etc.
In general, all research and discovery books for children are very much needed.  
School textbooks are less useful unless they are written in such a way that students
could read from them and learn independently.

·         Books must be used and they must be in good condition. 
Sadly, there have been experiences in unsuccessful, small book drives in the past 
where people donated their children's half-used coloring books, books with pages falling out, 
books with writing on the pages, books stuck together with toddler's food, etc. 
Books in poor condition should go to recycling, not to Israel, as they cannot be distributed to the schools;
 
      ·         The books should not advocate violence, contain racist or sexist slurs, or include pornography. 
      Remember, these are books to be featured in the public school libraries throughout all sectors in Israel;

·         The books should not be slanted at promoting commercial enterprises. 
      Books that are essentially promoting products, vacation and dining resorts, and commercial characters 
      are not of the content to promote a language learning process, and moreover, they do not help morale 
      for children living in a country whose economy has been badly damaged;
 
·         Since MANY students will be reading these books - they should be as sturdy as possible. 
      Paperback books that are sold for the student population are often the best content-wise 
but they yellow quickly, the bindings break and unfortunately, will not last long 
under the extensive use books undergo in library conditions.  
Paperback books must be in very good condition to withstand use in the public libraries 
if they are to be read more than a few times. Whenever possible, hardcover books, particularly in
literature aimed for primary aged children, would be preferred.
 
·         The most needed materials are what native English speaking children themselves
would consider appropriate for first grade through 9th/10th grade. 
Remember, these books are for modern-day youngsters and teenagers.  
      Generally speaking, since most Israeli children begin studying English from about the 3rd or 4th grade, 
      their reading levels remain below the grade level of an average native-speaker by about 3-4 years.  
      However, books meant to be read aloud to kindergarten aged children are also sometimes very appropriate. 
      Certainly books that are designed to help start a child on beginning reading, such as phonetics-based 
readers, and books with rhyming words, are very helpful for our younger learners.
 
·         Editions of the classics and poetry collections will also be placed in our libraries 
      so long as they are in good condition. 
      We do have some native- or near-native speaking high school students able to read on their grade level. 
      In addition, the English teachers will draw on material in such books for use in their lessons; 
 
·         Books whose stories have been made into movies or television shows are also helpful. 
      It makes it easier for children who are grappling with the language if they are familiar with 
the overall content or story-line of a book.
    

In addition to helping the dyslexic and congentially blind,
we now have a situation where a number of young people
have vision which has been permanently impaired by terrorist attacks.
 To help all our dyslexic, blind, and visually impaired children we are making a special request for books in Braille, books with large print texts, and the donation of story books accompanied by listen-along audio cassette tapes.

 

Remember, we are not only interested in books, but in teachers and librarians 
who would like to participate in the educational aspect of this project.     
Educators who are willing to correspond with their Israeli colleagues concerning the use of literature to advance literacy,
and who can involve their students in donating books and in corresponding with Israeli children through our school portal, 
"The Beloved Books Exchange," are asked to join with volunteers in their local Books for Israel book drive.
If there is no existing book drive near you, please start up a book drive of your own through your classroom, school, library, 
or community center 
(see "Start a Book Drive for Books for Israel").