READ ENC, a team of community volunteers and multiple community partners have launched a Book Nook initiative across Pitt County.

Ten Book Nooks will be in pediatric health care offices and two local laundromats in the Greenville area to encourage Pitt County children and families to turn to wait time into reading time.

Book collections including board books, fiction and non-fiction picture books, and chapter books will be available for families to share and discuss as they wait for pediatric health care appointments or wait for laundry to be finished.

The books were donated by Books for Better Outlooks, Sheppard Memorial Library, and Tar River Reading Council.

Former Pitt County elementary school teacher Sarah Mitchelson led the initiative along with a team. They met monthly during the past year to make the Book Nooks come to life.

Team members helping plan the READ ENC project included Pitt County community members, as well as representatives from the United Way of Pitt County, East Carolina University, Reach Out and Read, Sheppard Memorial Library, Martin-Pitt Partnership for Children and READ ENC.

“Having books available throughout public areas where parents and children wait will provide them with another opportunity to find moments within busy family schedules to share books and talk together,” said Sarah Mitchelson.

Additionally, Book Nooks will be stocked with information about multiple family resources, including online registration for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library book distribution program launched two years ago by the United Way of Pitt County and now funded by the North Carolina Legislature.

If you are interested in more information about READ ENC, please visit readenc.org.