Read Aloud Program 2025 | Embrace Your Wepa

Bringing Books to Life: Spring 2025 Read Aloud Book Giveaway

As part of our Read Aloud Program, Words Alive hosts three Book Giveaways each program year—joyful events that help our students build their home libraries while bringing together volunteers, teachers, and school staff around a shared love of reading.

For our Spring 2025 Book Giveaway, we distributed 2,580 copies of Wepa by J. de la Vega, along with bilingual learning kits and craft materials, to 104 classrooms across 23 schools in San Diego County.

The featured book, Wepa, is a bilingual picture book that explores themes of self-expression, supportive relationships, and embracing one’s unique energy. In Puerto Rican Spanish, wepa is a joyful exclamation—often shouted at celebrations—to express happiness, excitement, and pride. The book reframes this vibrant expression in the context of ADHD, using it as a symbol of empowerment and self-acceptance for children who experience the world differently. By pairing the book with thoughtfully designed learning materials, we help children engage more deeply with the story and see themselves reflected in the pages.

Below is a list of schools and programs where our giveaway was shared—and where creativity is now buzzing!

• Alcott Elementary

• Burbank Elementary

• Carver Elementary

• Central Elementary

• Central Elementary (Escondido Union District)

• Chavez Elementary

• Edison Elementary

• Emerson Elementary

• Felicita Elementary

• Fulton K-8

• Hamilton Elementary

• Harriet Tubman Village Charter

• Ibarra Elementary

• Jones Elementary

• Perkins Elementary

• Perry Elementary

• Porter Elementary

• Rolando Park Elementary

• SDUSD Virtual Academy

• Valencia Park Elementary

• Walker Elementary

• Washington Elementary

• Webster Elementary

Extending Learning Beyond the Read-Aloud: The Role of Learning Kits

At Words Alive, our learning kits are thoughtfully designed to deepen students’ engagement with stories by connecting the reader to the text and then to their own world. Rather than simply creating art, these kits provide meaningful extensions that invite children to reflect, interpret, and express their understanding in ways that enhance comprehension and personal relevance.

This approach directly supports Words Alive’s five Learning Anchors. Students do something with what they read—applying their ideas through play and creation. As they connect stories to their own lives, communities, and experiences, they also build self-expression skills through talk, write, read activities, even when expression starts with drawing. Learning kits deepen these connections by making abstract ideas concrete and helping young readers see themselves in the stories they read.

By including all step-by-step instructions and bilingual supports, the kits also promote accessibility and equity, ensuring every child can participate fully (our learning kits are translated to multiple languages to meet the diverse learning needs of our Words Alive students). As a result, our learning kits are essential tools that transform read-alouds into collaborative, relational, and engaging learning journeys—bridging books to real-life experiences, and empowering children to become life-long learners, readers, and future advocates for themselves.

All of our learning kits are created by our 100% volunteer-driven Curriculum Crew, with each piece going through four critical stages of development: writing, editing, designing, and translating. This process ensures that we bring high-quality curriculum into the classroom. This particular learning kit was first written by our volunteer, Sarah Luna, and then moved through the Curriculum Pipeline.

Curious to see what our learning kitS look like? Click the button below.

Bringing Wepa to the classroom

Words Alive is proud to partner with the creators of Wepa, a bilingual picture book, to bring stories to life for children across San Diego!

We recently hosted a special read-aloud event with Wepa’s art director, Haydee Yanez, who joined Words Alive students at Valencia Park Elementary to share the behind-the-scenes process of book creation — from early concept sketches to printing and publication. Read more about this exciting day on our blog.

We're grateful that Haydee and Joe collaborated with Words Alive to help introduce Wepa to our students. As a bilingual story that reflects diverse voices and experiences, Wepa is an engaging addition to our classroom read-alouds. We look forward to continuing to share it with students across the county.

Since introducing Wepa, we've received heartfelt thank-you notes from students who are excited to see books that reflect they all unique in their different ways.

Wepa and ADHD

ADHD is a common neurodevelopmental difference that affects how children focus, regulate energy, and manage impulses. In fact, 1 in 9 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with ADHD, making it one of the most prevalent behavioral health conditions among youth today. In San Diego, where nearly half of students from Title I schools are reading below grade level, understanding and supporting children with ADHD is even more important to building equity in education. Many of the children we serve face systemic barriers to learning, and behavioral health support is often limited in low-income communities. According to San Diego County data, one in 20 people are currently living with a serious mental illness, and that rate increases to one in 13 people who live in low-income households.

When we recognize ADHD not as a flaw but as a facet of how some children interact with the world, we can shift the narrative from shame to support. Books like Wepa help us do that by normalizing difference, celebrating neurodiversity, and encouraging kids to treat each other with empathy and respect.