Because we fit together like beats of a drum, like the chorus of notes and the chords that you strum.

- [Eleanore] Inside Room 148, Alyce Hartman reads a book about an eclectic trio of musicians, a squirrel, a grizzly bear, and a chicken.

A group of second graders sit and listen.

In the end, the three talking animals form a band and the students get a lesson on friendship and belonging.

- We make our own music.

We have nothing to prove.

We do our own thing and find our own proof.

- [Eleanore] Hartman is a STEM and drama teacher at Detroit Prep.

When she isn't teaching, she's on a mission to grow the next generation of readers as school librarians and school libraries have begun to disappear.

- There are a lack of books in the schools.

- [Eleanore] Hartman launched her popup literacy initiative, Birdie's Bookmobile two years ago, and hopes to fill a resource gap.

She hits the road and delivers hundreds of books to schools, afterschool programs, and non-profit organizations across Detroit.

- The books that are distributed, the children get to keep.

They're taking them home, sharing them with their families.

- Since Birdie's Bookmobile was born, Hartman said she's given away more than 16,000 books.

Today she makes a trip to Voyageur Academy, a K-12 charter school in Southwest Detroit.

The school doesn't have a library.

Hartman spent the morning hauling books into the school and gave over 500 to Voyageur.

Where does your passion come from to do this work?

- I was an early reader and an avid reader.

My mother was a kindergarten teacher, so I was always surrounded by books.

I had a large collection of books.

As a child, I loved reading and those books really opened these avenues of creativity for me.

And so I would always imagine that I was a character.

I would add dialogue and just really pretend, you know, to be in the story.

And I want children here in the city to really enjoy reading as much as I did.

- [Eleanore] At Voyageur, Hartman set up a book fair for the students.

There are books about Kamala Harris and Nelson Mandela, a book called "Soul Food Sunday" by Black children's author, Winsome Bingham.

Graphic novels are popular among high school students.

Many of the books Hartman curates include Black and Brown characters or books written by authors of color.

- I think I'm really drawn to getting these books into the hands of children so that they can then explore, you know, different career paths and learn more about what other cultures are doing and other characters.

You know, and the stories might differ from the experiences that they've had.

- [Eleanore] Hartman serves schools and nonprofits across the city.

- They're looking for books that reflect the community and that's what we're providing.

- [Eleanore] Literacy experts say children of color are still overlooked in mainstream culture.

Diverse books can teach students to be compassionate toward people who are different from them and toward themselves.

When a student sees themselves reflected in a story, their confidence can blossom.

Just ask 13-year-old Kai Fee.

- As Black girls, we don't get very much attention.

- [Eleanore] Kai is an eighth grader at Voyageur.

She picked up the young adult fantasy novel, "The Gilded Ones," written by Namina Forna, an author who grew up in Sierra Leon.

When she saw the cover, she said to herself, "Black girl magic."

- I feel like this book will talk about some things that we have in common maybe, 'cause we're both two Black girls and she seems like she's a young girl like me.

So I feel like this could help me, like, believe more in myself.

- [Eleanore] High school senior Tyler McKinnon picked up two books wrestling with the themes of war.

Sometimes McKinnon can't find books that entice him, so he appreciates the variety Birdie's Bookmobile provides.

- I feel like reading, you know, even like news articles, it helped me like not be ignorant and like, you know, expand my knowledge because I like to educate myself.

- [Eleanore] In the afternoon, Hartman heads to 27th Letter Books in Southwest Detroit.

The bookstore carries historically underrepresented authors.

Erin Pineda, the bookstore's co-owner helps Hartman shop.

She recommends a picture book about body positivity.

- "Bodies Are Cool."

- [Eleanore] Pineda's dog Chai watches the fun.

- The work that like Alyce is doing is so, so critical in getting books into kids' hands so that they can develop a love for literature and for learning, and like letting them know that they deserve those things because they do, you know.

- Thank you.

- [Erin] And like, that's really important.

- [Eleanore] The bookstore supports Hartman's mission by helping her save money on books.

- An ongoing program that we have here at 27th Letter Books is called Roundup for Reading.

And when folks come into our store and purchase something, they are given the option of rounding the purchase up to the nearest dollar.

And that difference helps fund a fund that allows us to give books to Birdie's Bookmobile.

So we are able to give them the books at cost and just, you know, keep that perpetual cycle of like books coming in and being able to go out into the hands of kids in Detroit.

(kids chattering) - [Eleanore] Last year, a fire destroyed Hartman's old ride, a bus.

In the meantime, she's using a van, still spreading the joy of reading to the children of Detroit, a joy she hopes will last a lifetime.

- I hope to grow lifelong readers and raise storytellers and have a generation of children who are interested in reading and really find joy in it and who are able to just get lost in a book every now and then.

Raise your hand if you liked it.