Our Story

When she retired in 1997, Pat Simons began looking for a place to put her passion. Upon discovering the impact reading has on young children and the importance of books in the home, Simons formulated an idea. She’d develop a program that connects readers to classrooms and send home high-quality copies of the books read in class for students to keep and enjoy.

Simons put her plan in motion with the support of a few like-minded friends who donated supplies, storage space and time. Together they scoured garage sales for children’s books and found a pre-kindergarten program willing to give the Storytime program a try.

The End.

Wait, that’s not the end.

Today, Ready Readers serves over 16,000 children from birth to age 8. Hundreds of volunteer readers in the St. Louis metro region participate in the Storytime program each week. And with the backing of our donors, we distribute over 150,000 books a year!

We’ve also expanded our reach through Storybook Walks, Block Parties, Little Free Libraries, Neighborhood Reading Captains and even professional development for teachers.

As the story moves forward, we continue to search for new and innovative ways to spread this mission of literacy and love of reading. It’s a place of passion that seems to have stayed Pat.