Man Builds Miniature Bookstore on Wheels to Motivate Children to Read

In Italy, the beautiful land of rolling fields and passionate people, Antonio La Cava is a man with a mission—to motivate children to read. That’s why he’s built a miniature bookstore on wheels that rolls all over the countryside like a literary ice cream truck—minus the fat and sugar but heavy on the brain food. La Cava is part of a movement in Italy called the National Union for the Fight Against Illiteracy. The group is committed to ending illiteracy and La Cava is dedicated to making sure he leads the way in instilling in children a love of books.

La Cava recently received recognition from Italian officials for his efforts, which have been ongoing since 2003. The fact that La Cava is a volunteer was noted, as well as his heroism in fighting against the prevalence of distraction so common in today’s children. There are no E-readers or tablets in La Cava’s little cart; just good, old fashioned ink on paper bound in traditional covers.

Indeed, La Cava is a hero. Studies have shown that children learn better from paper than they do from screens. When children hold real books, they tend to retain the information longer. In one study, children who read from paper books scored higher on tests about the book afterward than did children who read from an electronic screen. La Cava’s choice of staying away from electronics is surely a positive one in helping to spread solid literacy skills to kids.

La Cava travels around the Italian countryside bringing books to children to get them motivated about reading and learning, and he does so on a completely voluntary basis. He sacrifices his time to help children become literate without receiving any pay in return.

The United States could use a healthy dose of people like La Cava, the man who built a miniature bookstore on wheels to motivate children to read. La Cava says he has big plans for the future. He’s working on numerous projects, including a project he wants to undertake in juvenile prisons to teach the children there to love books. “I want to teach them to read inside, but look out,” he says. So far, thousands of children have benefited from his program and he hopes to greatly increase that number in the future.