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The Free Book Bus

@thefreebookbus.bsky.social

240 followers 180 following 160 posts

The Free Book Bus gives books to help families build home libraries in central Virginia. Our first mission serves those with barriers to access, our second is reading encouragement! https://linktr.ee/freebookbus

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The Free Book Bus @thefreebookbus.bsky.social · 2d

A collage of pictures showing kids on the bus looking at books, and two staff members of Community Bikes standing near their bike repair setup. The text reads: Southwood Unit - Boys & Girls Clubs of Central VA:
After a four day weekend, everyone came back and packed the club! We also started off the short week with our amazing partners The Free Book Bus AND Community Bikes who did a pop up repair shop for Southwood families! What a fantastic way to spend our Wednesday!

The Free Book Bus @thefreebookbus.bsky.social · 4d

On Halloween, it was fun to be a part of VIA Centers for Neurodevelopment’s fall festival! This tiny cowboy was the smallest reader who came to pick out books, and I also got to greet a Minion, Mario, a princess or two, an inflatable T-Rex, and other delightful costumes 😊

A small toddler dressed up as Woody from Toy Story stands quietly on the book bus

A child dressed up as Spider-Man on the book bus

The Free Book Bus @thefreebookbus.bsky.social · 10d

A fourth grader got on the bus at Greenstone today, tapped me on the shoulder and said “I have a question. Why is the book bus SO FUN?” 😊 I had help today from Jackson-Via Elementary teacher Ms. Herman, whose students were thrilled to see her outside of school.

Ms. Herman from Jackson-Via Elementary watches as her students select books on the book bus

Elementary girls look at the display shelf on the book bus

An elementary boy wearing a bright red hoodie smiles while holding a Pokémon book

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The Free Book Bus @thefreebookbus.bsky.social · 11d

Thank you! At the time, it felt like the longest wait between idea and bus, but two months isn’t bad in hindsight

The Free Book Bus @thefreebookbus.bsky.social · 11d

🥹

The Free Book Bus @thefreebookbus.bsky.social · 11d

OK I guess I’m three days behind and it was actually October 24th, 2018, but still 😊

The Free Book Bus @thefreebookbus.bsky.social · 11d

Seven years ago today, I had the idea for The Free Book Bus & *aspirationally* made the website & social media that day, even though we didn’t have a bus yet. On Dec. 15th, 2018, we had our first event at Nelson County Pantry. Thank you for supporting the book bus along the way!

Technically, the first first event was at Holy Cross Church food pantry in November 2018. I’m pictured here standing at a conference table with colorful plastic bins holding children’s books.

This picture shows the Book Bus interior with a bare floor and the wood bookshelves in process of being built by my spouse and copilot. Our late family dog, Bagel, a yellow lab mix, is pictured inside looking out.

Sharon is pictured standing on the original bus with the shelves in place and full of children’s books. The colorful curtains were made by her mom on a 60s era Singer sewing machine. Her son, at Virginia Tech in 2018, is helping stock the bus with his former book collection.

The original Book Bus (did not have a wheelchair lift) is shown backed into a space at the Nelson County Pantry. A homemade sign advertising free children’s books is propped outside.

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The Free Book Bus @thefreebookbus.bsky.social · 20d

On Thursday, we stopped at Townwood Mobile Home Park with Community Bikes, who gave out bikes and repaired existing ones. I love this view from the bus of a boy wheeling his new bike away 😊 Thanks to Sin Barreras for sending translators to help out!

The book bus shelves and colorful curtains are in the foreground, and in the background, a boy wheels a bike away in the grass.

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The Free Book Bus @thefreebookbus.bsky.social · 21d

Today I visited the Newcomer Learning Community (ACPS 6th-12th graders learning English), where we also welcomed English learners from Journey Middle School. Students chose books and personal care items like deodorant, chapstick, soap, and hair bonnets. Thanks to Elizabeth for volunteering today!

A volunteer helps kids choose personal care items from a table set up outside the bus

Two boys standing just outside the bus doors wearing durags look at the soccer books they chose

Staff and students look at the book display shelves on the bus

The Free Book Bus @thefreebookbus.bsky.social · 22d

Where else but The Scrappy Elephant would I find tiny witch hats for Gerald, Piggie, and the Pigeon? Thanks to the 240 people who put a button in our jar when they shopped at Scrappy, we have $120 in credit for October! Not pictured, the giant sack of books I got for the bus 😊🎃📚

A display set up on the bus near the front entrance with the Mo Willems characters elephant & piggy in a display box reading a pumpkin book while wearing tiny grey and purple witch hats. In the background, the pigeon sits in a tiny dolls salon chair reading a red book while wearing a matching orange witch hat.

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The Free Book Bus @thefreebookbus.bsky.social · Oct 7

Books, bikes, and socks were the items of the day today at our monthly stops: Riverside, Westhaven, and 6th St communities with PHAR!

Community Bikes repaired bikes at 6th St., and would love more bike donations if your kids have outgrown theirs.

Kids on the bus read and look at their book choices

An elementary girl chooses a pair of socks

Charlottesville Community Bikes volunteers and staff repair a bike near a playground while a child waits

The Free Book Bus @thefreebookbus.bsky.social · Sep 30

116 books and an assortment of 79 socks, hairbrushes and pencil cases went home with kids and families today at Greenstone. Kids still love to vacuum (second photo), and Piggie did get vacuumed up briefly 😊

Kids pose and smile while in line to get on the book bus

A young boy holds a hand vacuum near a stuffed pig

An elementary student smiles on the book bus as she selects a pencil

Kids on the book bus pick out pencils and crayons

The Free Book Bus @thefreebookbus.bsky.social · Sep 27

A few pictures from Tuesday’s visit to Tam’s Toddler Town Childcare - I always forget how tiny and adorable preschoolers are 🥹 These little readers enjoyed browsing the shelves, choosing books, and trying out the driver’s seat ✨

A happy little girl wearing a yellow shirt and yellow beads in her hair smiles while trying out the Book Bus driver seat

A tiny child sits in the driver seat while looking at an ABC board book

Two toddlers check out the Book Bus driver seat and controls

A happy preschooler wearing a pink headband and an adorable little denim jean jacket on the Book Bus

The Free Book Bus @thefreebookbus.bsky.social · Sep 24

At Hearthwood, kids hop right off their elementary bus and onto the book bus. Thank you Greenbrier Elementary teachers & librarian for helping at this stop! Picture and chapter books, along with coloring books & manga were most popular today. 😊

A young girl smiles and holds up a coloring book and Mo Willems book

Two happy, excited elementary schoolers confer on the Book Bus before choosing books

A young elementary school boy wearing a red backpack chooses a chapter book

An elementary school girl wearing a pink backpack sits on a stool and smiles while holding her coloring book, crayons, and pen

The Free Book Bus @thefreebookbus.bsky.social · Sep 19

The little kids had fun coloring and playing with the bus toys at Townwood today, and the bigger kids loved the Pokémon games. Lots of Spanish and English books went home with families too! We will return on October 16 with Community Bikes 😊🚲

Two women on the Book Bus look at books while two young boys sit and color in coloring books

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The Free Book Bus @thefreebookbus.bsky.social · Sep 16

Many thanks to Hello Comics for keeping us stocked with comics for kids, teens, and adults! We have a lot of comic fans at our stops, and are grateful for the boxes of two-packs the store donated to the bus ✨🙌

Two boxes of assorted comics labeled as kid friendly and also assorted. The two Comics pictured on top are Uncle Scrooge Adventures and a Marvel adventures comic.

The Free Book Bus @thefreebookbus.bsky.social · Sep 11

Thank you! It is a careful balance, and often, the longer I have been going to a stop, the less I feel OK about taking pictures. I never want people to feel like getting on the bus is conditional on me taking a picture. When I do have permission, it’s very helpful for grant writing.

The Free Book Bus @thefreebookbus.bsky.social · Sep 11

These two best friends came back after choosing books at Timberland to sit in the driver’s seat & work on their scratch art. When they left, one of them said “Bye book fairy!” 💕 I do wear a name tag that says “Sharon,” but I may have to make a second 😊

Two girls sit in the driver’s seat of The Free Book Bus, drawing on two magic scratch art pads they chose from the book bus.

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The Free Book Bus @thefreebookbus.bsky.social · Sep 10

Thank you so much 😊

The Free Book Bus @thefreebookbus.bsky.social · Sep 9

Lots of comments like ”I haven’t been on a bus in 50 years” 😊yesterday at Grandparents Day. Tye River Elementary students took home over 200 books - everything from Muhammad Ali to unicorn books 🦄

A woman poses with two young children on the Book Bus. They are both holding books and smiling

A woman and her grandson pose on the Book Bus. They are both smiling. The woman is holding a Dr. Seuss book with a purple cover titled “Horton hears a Boo!”

A woman and her grandson smile on the Book Bus. The boy is holding a Pete the Cat book with a blue cover.

A man and his grandson stand outside the Book Bus smiling

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The Free Book Bus @thefreebookbus.bsky.social · Sep 8

Thanks so much for sharing! 😊

The Free Book Bus @thefreebookbus.bsky.social · Sep 8

Thanks to @hannahdavisreid.bsky.social and @vpm.org for this fantastic story!

www.vpm.org/news/2025-09...

Charlottesville's Free Book Bus is a ‘come-as-you-are’ type of thing

The bus helps give the community an "open world to go on an adventure with."

www.vpm.org

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The Free Book Bus @thefreebookbus.bsky.social · Sep 7

Setting up a little scene for the kids to enjoy when I visit Tye River Elementary School tomorrow 🐘🐽🐦🫧📚

The Mo Willems book characters elephant and piggy are shown sitting in a small toy bathtub with acrylic iridescent soap bubbles all around them. Next to them in a tiny doll salon chair you can just see the head of the toy character the pigeon who is reading a book titled “How to behave and why.”

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The Free Book Bus @thefreebookbus.bsky.social · Sep 2

When the elementary school bus arrived at Riverside Avenue today, one girl ran to the bus and up the stairs shouting “I’M HERE!” 🥹 Kids enjoyed choosing new pencil pouches and pencils from the free store along with books.

A colorful display of pencil cases on the Book Bus. There are turquoise pencil cases with pink zippers and gray images of Pusheen the cat, as well as multicolored pencil cases that go in looseleaf binders

The Free Book Bus @thefreebookbus.bsky.social · Sep 2

First visit of the new school year to the Newcomer Learning Community! These 6th-12th grade students are newly arrived in the U.S. and still learning English.

A group of students hold their book choices and pose on the Book Bus