Taking Inspiration from the Les Paul Legacy

January 15, 2021 1839 0

What do BookGive and Les Paul have in common?

Hmmm…let’s see.

Les Paul was a famous musician and recording artist, winning multiple Grammy Awards and hanging out with everyone from Bing Crosby to Sting.

BookGive? No awards (yet!) and brushing shoulders with some local authors.

No, our connection with Les Paul isn’t about fame or fortune. Les Paul was at his core a curious inventor who persevered even when things weren’t easy and when he hit roadblocks, eventually hitting on something that changed the world.

Now THAT sounds like BookGive’s wheelhouse.

BookGive was recently awarded a grant from The Les Paul Foundation to inspire some of Denver’s young readers with the fascinating and ultimately approachable story of Les Paul’s life. BookGive will partner with Kim Tomsic, author of the Les Paul picture book biography Guitar Genius: How Les Paul Engineered the Solid Body Electric Guitar and Rocked the World (illustrated by Brett Helquist) to introduce second grade students at a number of Denver-area Title I schools to Les Paul and his life of engineering, hard work and perseverance.

This program is a “win” all around. First, approximately 500 second graders will receive this beautiful book to take home and keep. BookGive is especially committed to inspiring young readers and among them, children who may not have many books at home. According to a 2019 National Literacy Trust study, children who say they own a book are six times more likely to read above the level expected for their age, nearly three times more likely to enjoy reading and more than twice as likely to agree that reading is cool. In addition, a book at home is far more likely to inspire more than one child within a family and encourage sustained interaction between children and caregivers.

Next, the book’s author, Kim Tomsic will present to each school group at the targeted elementary schools, virtually, as you may have wondered, because schools are currently unable to invite visitors. Kim’s lively slide show and interactive presentation introduce Les Paul from his childhood to his induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. How cool that the kids get to “meet” the author of the book they now own? Kim truly brings Les Paul’s experiences to life.

Then, during what every teacher will tell you has been a seriously trying school year, the grant provides a book guide for discussion questions and fun projects including vocabulary sorts, theme identification, social-emotional projects and maker space ideas for students to tinker and create like Les Paul. Handing teachers helpful materials – complete and ready to use – might be up there with gifts of chocolates and flowers. Of course, the point is to extend and deepen the learning so that every time those children pick up their books at home, they will draw from a more complete learning experience.

The hope with this unique program is to inspire young readers to believe in their dreams and trust their creativity, just like Les Paul. As Michael Braunstein, Executive Director of The Les Paul Foundation put it:

Guitar Genius: How Les Paul Engineered the Solid-Body Electric Guitar and Rocked the World by Kim Tomsic and illustrated by Brett Helquist continues to be one of the most entertaining and popular books about inventor and musician Les Paul. Les’ life was a powerful example of how someone can achieve whatever he dreams even when met with challenges.

The books arrived today! BookGive volunteers will soon be sorting and boxing them up to deliver to the schools for presentations starting in late-February and occurring throughout March. Follow our socials as we share the impact of this program made possible by the generosity of The Les Paul Foundation.