Babies get free books donated to promote literacy

HONESDALE — Beaming with joy, Valeria Urquijo of Milford accepted a free book for her newborn son, Devin, delivered by the Northeastern Pennsylvania Reading Association.

The group delivered books for infants to Wayne Memorial Hospital’s New Beginnings Birthing Suites, where little Devin was born on Jan. 12.

The association is dedicated to improving and promoting literacy in area schools and communities. According to the association, children spend about 900 hours at school and 7,800 hours at home each year, meaning that parents have “an enormous responsibility to provide their children’s educational foundation.”

Devin's slide-and-find book was called "Christmas."

“Encouraging literacy at a young age is a terrific goal,” said Lisa Champeau, public relations manager for Wayne Memorial Hospital. "We thank the association for providing free materials to our families and their newborns.”