Have you ever gone back through your childhood things at an old house and discovered your old nighttime storybooks?

The images and the words all seem familiar, and just like a memorable smell, the images of those books can take us back to a place of happiness and place of creativity. The curiosity and imagination that those favorite bedtime books gave each of us will forever live on. For different generations, different books may bring back those feelings.

More than 150 children were able to add some books to their collection at the Reading is Fundamental Breakfast with Santa on Saturday morning. We imagine the children will take their books home, and flip through the pages over and over again. We imagine they will curiously devour the books nightly.

This aligns with the RIF idea and theory that children will read more and have a greater interest in reading through the ownership of books.

Saturday, before children received their very own book to take home with them, they were told Christmas stories by Selma Mayor George Evans and professional storyteller Sister Yomi. Sister Yomi talked to the children about their African American heritage and taught them about Kwanza.

When Santa arrived to have breakfast with the children, the kids could not stop telling Santa about how they wanted iPads, video games, movies and other popular holiday wish-list items.

What was exciting to see is that even though the children were excited to talk about electronics, a sparkle still shimmered in their eyes when they received, and got to pick out, their very own books to take home and cherish forever.

We want to thank the sisters of Alpha Kappa Alpha for their efforts in putting the breakfast together. We also want to thank the Dallas County Commission and the city of Selma for donating funds that made purchasing some 200 books possible.

Most importantly, we would like to tell those involved with RIF, job well done.

Somehow in a world where children chase screens that light up, you found a way to make reading FUNdamental all over again for the children of Selma and Dallas County.