SCHOOL PROGRAM Parents pass along love of Ian, reading

The pass-along-book program will be an annual event.
By MARALINE KUBIK
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
STRUTHERS -- Ian Cadman was born with half a heart and died four days later.
Heartbroken, his parents, Marianne and Tod Cadman, desperately wanted to do something to honor their son and keep his memory alive.
Opening their hearts and pocketbooks in Ian's memory, the Cadmans decided to help other children become proficient readers.
Their daughter, Alyson, was in fourth grade at Center Street Elementary School when Marianne came up with the idea to honor Ian by presenting every child in her daughter's school with a new book at the end of the school year.
Marianne browsed shelf after shelf of children's books, carefully selecting age-appropriate titles for each class, K-4.
Giving books to children is such a wonderful way to honor Ian, Marianne said, that she and her husband decided to do it every year.
"I enjoy getting the thank-yous from the kids. It's been a good thing for us," she said.
Couldn't afford it
But, when all of Struthers' elementary schools were consolidated into the new building, providing each child with a book was more than the Cadmans could afford.
"We still wanted to do something," Marianne said. "My idea was to donate to the school library, then someone suggested we buy books for fourth-graders, who would be going to the middle school next year. So we've been doing that for two years."
This year, Marianne bought three titles: "The School Story" by Andrew Clements, nominated for several book awards, "The View From Saturday" by E.L. Konigsburg, winner of the Newbery Medal for 1997, and "The Year of Miss Agnes" by Kirkpatrick Hill, School Library Journal Best Book of the Year for 2000 and winner of the Children's Book Award.
The school librarian reads a portion of each of the books to pique the children's interest before they are distributed the last week of school, said Principal June Logan.
Children in grades K-3 each receive a book to take home too, Logan said.
Summer reading
Teacher Dora Zanni suggested Struthers Elementary implement a pass-along-book program to encourage children to read over the summer.
To start the program, which is new this year, the elementary school has been collecting gently used children's books that are sorted by reading level -- determined by the degree of difficulty and number of words on each page -- and then placed on tables the last week of school so children can page through them and choose the one they want, Logan explained.
Once they've read the book, Logan continued, the children are encouraged to sign their name inside the front cover and pass it to a friend.
"Of course, if they really love the book, they can keep it," Zanni added. "We just want them to take one home and read it. We just want to help our kids begin a love of books."
Not all families can afford to buy a selection of children's books, Zanni said, and not all families visit the public library.
The pass-along-book program, like the book distribution to honor Ian Cadman, will be an annual event, Logan said.
To donate gently used books, contact Struthers Elementary School at (330) 750-1065.
kubik@vindy.com