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American Morning

Laura Bush Announces New National Book Festival

Aired July 30, 2001 - 09:19   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: First lady and former librarian Laura Bush has made reading literacy a top priority of her tenure. Before coming to Washington, she helped organize the Texas Book Festival, and that has become a fund-raiser that generates about $1 million a year for public libraries in the state. Now today Ms. Bush is announcing plans for a national book festival.

The first lady joins us now from the Library of Congress in Washington to talk about this project, and, as you can see there, she has company. She is joined by James Billington, the librarian of Congress, there on the left. And this guy looks very familiar to a lot of folks I'm sure no doubt, the Milwaukee Bucks all-star Ray Allen.

Good morning to all of you. How are you?

LAURA BUSH, FIRST LADY OF THE UNITED STATES: Good morning.

JAMES BILLINGTON, LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS: Good morning. Fine.

RAY ALLEN, MILWAUKEE BUCKS ALL-STAR: Good morning.

HARRIS: Well, let me begin with you, Ms. Bush. You began this idea in Texas and it's turned into a big fund-raiser, but is fund- raising the object of what it is you're trying to do today?

BUSH: No, this is not really fund-raising. We're getting ready to announce at our press conference the national book festival which will be a celebration of reading and of books for all Americans. We have terrific authors who are going to come read and do panel discussions on the Capitol grounds and in this beautiful building we're in now, the Library of Congress. So it's just going to be a great celebration.

HARRIS: Yes. It's a great idea, but I have to ask you this because, you know, we live in the digital age, if you will, and you're talking about getting people, specifically kids, to get out and read more. Now how do you communicate that lesson or that message in this day and age?

BUSH: Well, I think Ray Allen can help us communicate that lesson; a basketball star who also loves to read. We all want -- I think every one of us, every parent and every community leader, needs to model reading to show children and young people that reading is very important. And I'm thrilled that both the Library of Congress and Ray Allen are joining me here today to model that.

HARRIS: Well, then why are you joining it, Ray? I want to ask you about that. Many folks do know your story and know how you've been involved with a lot of different projects like this. Why this time around on this project?

ALLEN: Well, just for those reasons. I think a lot of the kids across the country, you know, they look up to a lot of the sports celebrities and a lot of entertainers and actors of that nature, and we have such a positive influence on them, and reading is where it's going to start, you know, to make the children of the future, you know, understand the things that we need to do to uplift them and make them better and it's through reading. And I know I have a reading program that I do in Milwaukee, reading to the kids, and they look up to me, and they appreciate the things that we read. If I tell a kid to read, I think they'll be more likely to read than to sit there on a computer and play video games.

HARRIS: Yes. Is it as simple as that? Or is it just you having to tell them that and instantly you connect with these kids?

ALLEN: Oh, yes. Well, I've gone to schools throughout the year and I've read to kids different books -- Dr. Seuss books, nothing big or important, but when kids see that I like to read, they go out and they like to read and name some of the books that they love to read, and I try and let them know some good books to read, and I think that influences kids to want to go out there and read.

HARRIS: Yes. Mr. Billington, you've got to like what you're hearing these two people here say this morning and the attention this is going to be bringing to your purview, right?

BILLINGTON: I beg your pardon, I couldn't hear your last sentence.

HARRIS: I've got to say, you must really like hearing the kinds of comments that you're hearing this morning from the first lady and from Ray Allen.

BILLINGTON: Oh, it's very exciting. You know, the public library system of America is one of the great treasures of this country, and reading is the entry way to everything, to personal fulfillment as well as to the future dynamism of our whole society, and I think Laura Bush's leadership in this and her role model as a professional librarian and teacher and as the host of this festival is just very, very exciting.

In addition to the NBA and those people, we're going to have nearly 50 authors reading from four pavilions out on the Capitol grounds here, the very center of Washington, and there will be story- tellers as well.

And you mentioned the digital thing. We have seven million items of American history and culture on line. We'll be showing that all, too. But the point of that is to get people's curiosity and interest aroused so they go back into reading, and that's exactly what this book festival is going to do. So we know it will be a very festive day, both inside this beautiful building and outside on the Capitol grounds. There will be storytellers, there will be reading, there will be 50 authors of more popular authors here in America. It's going to be a very exciting time and a real celebration.

HARRIS: It sounds like it.

Ms. Bush, is this going to be an annual thing with you?

BUSH: Well, we hope so. We're going to have the first one, and then we'll see how it goes and what we think next year, but I certainly hope so. We started the Texas Book Festival six years ago in Austin, and it's become institutionalized as an annual event at the Texas Capitol. So I expect this will be very successful here, the National Book Festival, as well.

HARRIS: Well, then, with that kind of experience and with the experience you had in Texas, any thought toward doing this on a regional basis in other states as well?

BUSH: Well, there already are a number of great book festivals around the country. A lot of cities host or universities host great book festivals. So I think people who love to read have an opportunity to go to book festivals.

I do want to invite Americans, all Americans, though, to join us here on September 8, here at the Library of Congress and on the Capitol grounds for this book festival.

HARRIS: I certainly hope they get the message. You're preaching to the choir this morning. If it weren't for my mom sending all five of us to the library, I wouldn't be here today.

BUSH: That's right.

HARRIS: Well, good luck to all of you. Thank you very much for coming...

BUSH: Thanks, Leon.

HARRIS: ... James Billington, Laura Bush.

BUSH: Come on to the festival.

BILLINGTON: Ten to five.

HARRIS: All right, good deal.

BILLINGTON: Ten to five on Saturday, all day music. There'll be music. There'll be food.

HARRIS: OK. There you go, plug away. Ray, good to talk to you, as well. You all take care. Good luck.

Now, folks, you can hear more from the first lady today on INSIDE POLITICS. Judy Woodruff is going to have an interview on Laura Bush, the first six months. That's today at 5:00 P.M. Eastern, 2:00 Pacific.

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