Children's Books Now in Police Squad Cars

By Jacy Wojcik in News on Jul 24, 2008 8:59PM

Squad cars from about a dozen participating departments in Illinois are now equipped with BACK (Be A Cheerful Kid) Packets filled with books for children to read while their parents are dealing with police-related issues including: traffic accidents, fires, verbal and physical altercations, unjust parking ticket rampages, and other crimes. The books are donated by With Wings And A Halo, a non-profit group started by children's author, Paul Gilbertson. He started the program in Waunakee, WI after he was emotionally moved by the children's artwork on display at Ground Zero in New York City. "It's a life-changing event when a child is in a crisis situation. This is about changing something negative into positive," says Gilbertson.

We're not sure how easy it is for a child to focus their attention on reading The Berenstain Bears Go To Camp when watching a blazing fire, but it still warms our heart to picture a distressed child finding temporary comfort from a little bag of stories. [Trib]