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Amid whispers about horses, Star Wars and the occasional princess, students at Cunningham Elementary School on Monday excitedly filled their arms with stacks of books, thanks to the nonprofit group Books Between Kids’s annual book celebration.

Students were allowed to choose up to six books to keep as part of their own home library.

“This is the fourth year that we’ve had [this event],” said principal Anna White. “The kids look forward to this; they kind of know what to do.”

Books Between Kids, which is supported by organizations such as the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, The United Way, The Children’s Fund, and Better World Books, plans to give away 250,000 books to more than 35,000 elementary school students at 59 campuses to read this summer.

Best of all, the book giveaway supports the district’s Literacy By Three initiative, and its goal to have every student reading on or above grade-level by third grade. Many of the Books Between Kids volunteers are also volunteering for HISD’s Read Houston Read program.

“I think it’s one of the best things that they can do for some students who maybe don’t have those resources at home.” White said.

For more information about Literacy By Three, please visit http://www.houstonisd.org/literacyby3.