Young Readers Program
Through partnerships with South Dakota’s educators, this program is shaping powerful learning habits to increase our youth’s reading achievement levels when they’re the most impressionable through book ownership, author interactions, and class materials.
We began this program with just a few thousand books, and in 2024 we delivered over 14,000 to 381 schools! Without the support of sponsors and donors like you, we would have never reached the remarkable milestone of providing a book to every third grader in South Dakota. In addition, this support has allowed us to form lasting partnerships that help us equip educators with invaluable class materials such as classroom guides, author videos, and author interactions at the Festival of Books.
Let’s come together and create a brighter future for our children and empower them to dream big by visiting HumanitiesRock.com through the button below. Please help us in continuing this program in 2024!
Watch 2024’s Young Readers One Book author engage with students across South Dakota!
Wings of an Eagle: The Gold Medal Dreams of Billy Mills is the 2025 Young Readers One Book. It is a dramatic and inspiring autobiographical tale of overcoming odds by Lakota gold medalist Billy Mills and co-author Donna Janell Bowman, with stunning illustrations by award-winning Lakota artist S.D. Nelson.
Billy Mills was once an orphan on the Pine Ridge Reservation. But before his father was called to the ancestors, he told Billy how to conquer his suffering: You have broken wings, son. You have to dig deeper, below the anger, the hurt, the self-pity. The pursuit of a dream will heal you.
Despite poverty, racism, and severe health challenges, Billy raced toward his goal of becoming an Olympic athlete, inspired by his Indigenous ancestors who stood strong when the odds were against them. Though at times he felt like his wings were clipped—a lone bird falling from the sky—he adapted and overcame, finally earning his place at the 1964 Olympics.
This autobiographical tale of Billy Mills’ awe-inspiring flight to a record-breaking gold medal is a soaring testament to Billy’s legacy and the Lakota prayer: we are all related.
Combining book ownership and face-to-face visits with authors and artists creates the kind of lifelong excitement for reading and writing that we want to achieve.
Why Third-Graders?
When children move into fourth grade lacking an adequate foundation to be independent, they have a higher likelihood of dropping out of high school, reducing their potential earnings and chances for success.
68% of Our Youth
Read Below a Proficient Level
Our partnerships with South Dakota educators, librarians, organizations, and curriculum staff help SDHC select age-appropriate stories, distribute books and supplemental materials, and collaborate to arrange school visits with authors and illustrators.
Together we are shaping powerful learning habits to increase our youth’s reading achievement levels when they’re the most impressionable through book ownership, author interactions, and class materials.
As an extension of our established South Dakota Festival of Books and One Book South Dakota programs, SDHC launched the Young Readers One Book program in 2014 to increase excitement about reading and inspire children’s imagination. The Young Readers Festival hosts at least a dozen children’s/YA authors and illustrators who speak directly to students in schools and local cultural centers. SDHC also works with Black Hills Reads and SFEC to create a special “storytime” video with the author and/or illustrator of the Young Readers One Book, which educators can use as part of their curriculum, allowing students to interact with the creator of the book they own!
Our program’s success is only made possible through the generous donations we’ve received over the years. We’re grateful for the many supporters who have joined us on this incredible journey. While we’ve gone from delivering a few thousand books to over 14,000 across the state in 2023 and 2024, we acknowledge that our mission goes beyond these contributions. As we work to inspire young minds, we invite others to join us in our efforts to profoundly impact and inspire our youth in 2025 and beyond.
Young Readers Festival authors can be found on the Festival of Books page.
