Swanson on the family’s Busload of Books tour.Photo: Courtesy
In late August, author/illustrator husband and wife team Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr took off from their Maryland home in a colorful school bus-turned-RV with their four kids, now ages 6 to 15, and family dog for a year-long journey to bring books to underserved children in every state and Washington, D.C.
To date, their “Busload of Books Tour” has visited more than 45 elementary schools, where the couple gives presentations on how they make books and gifts every student a hardcover title (thanks to donors).
“I cannot imagine something more gratifying,” Behr, 47, tells PEOPLE. “It is so heart-filling for us to do this.” (You can follow their journey on Instagram@robbi.and.matthew.)
For those who meet the couple, the feeling is mutual. Minutes after a mid-Aprilvisit to McElwain Elementaryin Denver, librarian Sara Snider’s heart burst with excitement.
“It was a really special day,” she tells PEOPLE. “They were so genuine and just so eager to connect with our kids. It was really, really great.”
The Swanson-Behr family.Courtesy
Before each presentation, the couple makes a personalized video for the school, posts it on YouTube and asks the teachers to show it to the students because it “makes the students feel like we’re famous because we’re on YouTube,” Swanson says with a laugh.
And that, he says, has had the intended effect.
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“We’re visiting communities that are oftentimes overlooked,” Swanson shares. “And it means the world to the students that here are these people they think are famous coming to their school. It fills them with such excitement.”
“We know,” Swanson adds, “what a valuable experience it can be to inspire kids about literacy and creativity.”
source: people.com
