2026 Book Bus Birthday Bash
Join us for a free summer celebration—and help stock the bus for Nashville's kids.
Event Details
Saturday, June 27, 2026 | 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Cornelia Fort Airpark at Shelby Bottoms
1199 Shadow Lane, Nashville, TN 37206
Free and open to the public. No registration required.
Every child deserves a book to call their own.
On June 27, Book'em is celebrating the Book Bus—our bookmobile that delivers more than 10,000 books each year to children and teens across Davidson County—and we want you and your family to join the party.
The Book Bus Birthday Bash is a free community event for kids, families, and book lovers of all ages. Come and enjoy story times with guest readers, character scavenger hunts, face painting and more. We ask that you bring a new or like-new children's book to donate because when you do, you help make sure the shelves on the bus are full for every school and neighborhood stop on the route for the coming school years.
In Metro Nashville Public Schools, only about one in three third graders currently reads at grade level. Research shows that access to books at home is one of the strongest predictors of a child's reading success—independent of family income or parental education. A single donated book can be the start of a home library that changes a child's academic trajectory.
Activities
Bring a Book. Make a Difference.
The Book Bus Birthday Bash is also a community book drive. We are asking every family who attends to bring at least one new or gently used children's book to donate.
Books for readers of all ages (birth through age 18) are welcome. All formats and genres are needed—picture books, chapter books, middle grade, young adult, board books, bilingual titles.
Not sure what to bring? Browse Book'em's Amazon Wish List for suggested titles across every age group.
Books donated at the Bash go directly onto the Book Bus to be distributed to children in Davidson County schools and community events throughout the coming school year.
Since 1989, Book'em has distributed more than 1.5 million books to children in Davidson County.
Can't Make It? You Can Still Help.
If you are unable to attend in person, consider making an online donation to support Book'em's year-round mission. Your gift helps purchase books for the bus, fund reading programs in MNPS schools, and ensure children across Nashville have access to books they choose and cherish.
About the Book Bus
Book'em's Book Bus travels to schools and community events across Davidson County throughout the year, bringing books directly to children and teens and giving them the chance to browse, select, and keep books of their own. Sponsor support helps distribute more than 10,000 books annually, building home libraries and expanding access to reading for young people who need it most.
Questions? Contact us at 615-255-1820 or [email protected].