Helping Ronald McDonald House Care for Readers’ Hearts: One Bookmoji at a Time!

First, A Disclaimer: This is not a paid or sponsored post. I wasn’t asked to write this. I am not being compensated to tell this story. Rather, I’m sharing it because I believe deeply in the power of the program and want others to know about it. Also, one strategy I’ve found helpful in navigating <<gestures wildly at all the things>> is actively seeking out opportunities to share joy. Everything I’m about to share is so joyful, y’all. I mean, if this doesn’t make you feel good, I don’t know what will! 

My Reader’s Heart

For my entire adult life, I’ve worked to connect readers’ hearts with story. For more than two decades, that work has been rooted in schools, where I’ve had the privilege of helping young people discover themselves as readers. Since “retiring” from full-time work within a specific district back in 2017, it’s been an honor to do this same work with adult learners, both through the classes I teach at Rutgers and the professional development I facilitate around the world.

I’ve written and shared many times about the role that books, literacy, and libraries have played in helping to propel me out of poverty and, if I may be so bold, shape me into a person driven by service and empathy. Put another way, this work is deeply personal to me. And if I am being honest, it’s why I can’t seem to actually retire! Recently my friend, John Schu, told me about how his Oura Ring helps him understand when his body is stressed and when it is restored. He said it was affirming to learn that his body feels most restored when he is presenting and sharing with others! Now, y’all… I don’t have an Oura Ring (yet!) but I can’t help but believe that, like John, my heart is at its most full when I’m connecting others with the books their hearts need most.

From the School House to Ronald McDonald House

Earlier this year, I was invited to participate in something new: a program designed to bring books to families being served by Ronald McDonald House Charities. The idea was simple but powerful: create a program that could offer kids and families both comfort and connection during an incredibly stressful time, by:

• creating onsite libraries filled with hand-curated books, for kids to discover, love and take home when they leave Ronald McDonald House

• pairing those collections with a joyful, gamified discovery process that connects kids and families to books they will love

  
  

Before going further, I should say that credit for making this program a reality belongs to Juan Hernandez, VP of Operations for all Bay Area RMHC locations. Juan understands that when children and families are navigating illness, they need more than medical care, they need to be held in spaces and by people who nurture their hearts and provide opportunities for joy. Juan recognized that bringing together high-interest, inclusive books with a joyful discovery program would give families exactly what they needed. Thanks to his leadership, the RMHC Bay Area team partnered with Bookelicious to make this dream a reality. And that’s where I came in!

Back in April, I joined Bookelicious founder Lea Anne Borders and Dr. Lorien Hunter, the Bookelicious Director of Curation, in conversation with Juan and his team to dream about what this program could become. As part of the curation process, we spent time getting to know the families who call Ronald McDonald House their home away from home. As any good librarian knows, curation isn’t really about collecting resources. Curation is about getting to know your community's needs, so that you can connect them with the right resources at the right time. Our mission during that first meeting was to get to know the RMHC community, so that we could build a collection specifically for them. With that vision in mind, the Bookelicious team went to work crafting a collection designed to do two things at once: reflect the lived experiences of the RMHC readers and connect them to joy and fun.

It is also important to note that the Bay Area Ronald McDonald House serves a largely bilingual population. The Bookelicious curation department hand-selected titles that are both high interest and available in both English and Spanish. This way, families can share stories in the language that feels most natural to them, and kids can see their identities affirmed on the shelves.

Meet the Bookmoji

Lately, I’ve been thinking about reading and literacy as a vehicle. The mechanics, skills, and curricula are the engine under the hood. They are essential, but they cannot take kids anywhere on their own. What really makes the engine run is fuel. In this case, the fuel is motivation, identity, and community. All of these are sparked by educators who help kids discover the power of story. And one powerful tool for creating opportunities for that discovery is the Bookmoji. 

Here’s how it works. When kids create their Bookmoji, they pick clothes, pets, hobbies, accessories, and other goodies to surround their avatar. These choices may look fun, (and ohmygosh they are!), but they reveal something deeper: the child’s interests, passions, and personality. Those choices then generate a personalized bookshelf of real-time book recommendations that are tied directly to the collection on site. Suddenly, a child sees a shelf of books linked to their hearts; in other words, books they will actually want to read! 

And that changes everything. Instead of being handed a book, picked by a well-meaning adult, they get to discover a book that is directly connected to their interests and passions! Research shows that when kids choose their own books, they are far more motivated to read them. And we see this play out over and over when kids use the Bookmoji building process to discover new books. Bookmojis help to associate reading with JOY and joy is a powerful fuel, y’all. 

At Ronald McDonald House, this means children who are going through incredibly hard times get both a spark of joy and a mirror for their identities. They do not just take home a book, they take home fuel for their ongoing journey as readers. Fuel that can carry them into new worlds, new experiences, and even new versions of themselves.

Additionally, at Ronald McDonald House (and at schools who have implemented the program!) kids, families and staff print their Bookmojis on stickers - which they can affix to water bottles, laptops, lanyards, etc. In this way, the Bookmoji itself becomes a point of connection, sparking conversations about shared interests and the books readers have discovered through the program.

What strikes me most about this model is how it centers both identity and fun. Building a Bookmoji, printing stickers, seeing yourself reflected in a collection: it is playful and engaging. But it also speaks to something deeper. Kids are reminded that they are readers, even when life circumstances might be trying to convince them otherwise.

Filling the Shelves

Last week I had the joy of heading to the Ronald McDonald House in Palo Alto to help bring this vision to life. I worked alongside Lea Anne and Lorien to unpack hundreds of books and get them ready for families. (We even got some advice from Louis Borders, founder of Borders Books, who encouraged us to make sure every book was positioned perfectly on the shelf!) We spent about three hours sorting through books, chatting with staff and families, and soaking up the joy that filled the space. Every interaction was a reminder of why this work matters.

The RMHC family is so excited about this program, y’all. They are ready to connect with the families they serve through story and through the magic of Bookmojis. Every family that walked by stopped to ask when the books would be ready. Every staff member who popped in offered thanks for helping them create another way to support families who are navigating stressful times.

Anyone who has set up a library knows that this was truly a labor of love. Creating a space in a way that families will enjoy and that makes the Bookmoji process smooth and welcoming filled my heart in ways I struggle to describe, but y’all know I’m gonna try! Truly, every box unpacked and every shelf filled felt like planting seeds of joy that will keep growing as families discover books they can read, love, and keep forever.

Why This Matters

And now, if I could put on my educator hat for a moment to remind you (and me!) that this work is rooted in research. Studies show that reading has powerful effects on both physical and emotional well-being:

• Even just six minutes of reading can lower stress levels by up to 60–68%, slowing the heart rate and easing muscle tension, often more effectively than tea, music, or a walk.

• Fiction reading activates brain regions linked to empathy and social connection, helping to reduce loneliness and lower stress.

• Children who read for pleasure early in life show better cognitive performance and mental health later on, with improved brain structure and well-being into adolescence.

• One storytelling session with hospitalized children can increase oxytocin, decrease cortisol and pain, and generate positive emotional shifts.

• In broader health outcomes, daily reading can slow cognitive decline, improve sleep, and may even extend lifespan by up to two years.

• The practice of bibliotherapy, or using reading as a therapeutic tool, shows evidence for reducing mild to moderate depression and fostering personal growth.

Taken together, this research shows that in a hospital or recovery setting, reading is not just a nice extra, it is a form of holistic care. Programs like the Bookmoji-powered library at RMHC provide more than books. They mend hearts, build connection, foster identity, and create emotional resilience at a moment when kids and families need it most.

One Lucky Librarian

I am honored to play a small part in celebrating this work, y’all. As I said at the beginning of this post, at a time when the world feels dark and scary, work like this is a bright light. I am excited to see what comes next as this program continues to grow, but in the meantime, I’ll use the example of what’s happening at Ronald McDonald House as motivation to keep working on the things that I know matter. 

So here’s my invitation: while this story centers Ronald McDonald House, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that the BookmojiPLUS program was built for schools. If you’d like to learn more, contact Cindy Shirey, National Director of Partnerships at cindys@bookelicious.com. And feel free to tell her that Library Girl sent you!