Actor and stand-up comedian Milton Lil Rel Howery led a story time on behalf of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library at the Nia Family Center on Thursday.
Howery read the book Raindrops to Rainbow to children ages 3–5 and then joined with local leaders to distribute free books at the center, located at 744 N. Monticello Ave. Hosted by Share Our Spare and Chicago Commons, the reading aimed to boost early literacy and connect young families on the West Side with free, accessible reading resources.
Howery is best known for his role as Robert Carmichael on “The Carmichael Show” and as Rod Williams in the film “Get Out.” Reflecting on his upbringing in the area, he said reading at a young age played a key role in developing his imagination.
Howery pointed out how excited and impressionable the kids were and said it is important to build that love for reading early, especially by letting them hold and connect with physical books.
“They were really excited about the rainbow, even the ‘drip drop,’ because they added that in. The book says ‘plip plop,’ but they threw in ‘drip drop,’ so I liked that we came up with our own version of what the rainbow sounded like,” Howery said.
Howery grew up around books, influenced by his mother’s love of reading and had been reading well before that point.
“The highlight was the kids’ energy. They were so excited, especially once we started opening the books. It’s one of the reasons I used to love shows like ‘Reading Rainbow,’” Howery said.
One of the key indicators of kindergarten readiness according to Umi Grigsby, executive director of Share Our Spare, is the number of books available in a child’s home environment. Research shows that 61% of low-income families report having no books at home and children without this access may enter kindergarten having been exposed to roughly 30 million fewer words than their peers.
“You’re essentially starting out during a period when there’s a significant gap in learning and you’re also entering kindergarten with a major disadvantage at the very beginning of your education journey. The reason we decided to focus on the South and West Sides is that we identified those areas as having the greatest need in places where there are book deserts,” Grigsby said.
Grigsby said that every child should have access to books from birth, a critical period since most development occurs in the first five years when children build language, confidence and curiosity.
She emphasized that although the ultimate goal is to ensure every child can access books and the Imagination Library, the initiative is beginning in areas with the highest need. She explained that “book deserts” are not caused by a single issue, but by overlapping challenges, as families often have to prioritize essentials like housing and food over books and early literacy.
“It was National Reading Month in March, but we’re wrapping it up and extending it into the first few days of April. You can never have too much reading,” Grigsby said.