SHARON — Heather Mathews’ Roving Clover book bus has delivered thousands of free books to children across the Northwest Corner. Now, after repeated breakdowns, the aging green bus needs replacing.
Mathews is working to raise $100,000 to buy and convert another used bus. She said she has raised $45,000 toward that goal.
A teacher at Sharon Center School for 36 years and currently its reading interventionist, Mathews described the project during a presentation at the Taghhannuck Grange Saturday, Nov. 7. The Grange presented her with a $1,000 donation.
Mathews said transportation barriers can make it difficult for some Northwest Corner families to visit libraries. She wanted to help children get books during the summer, when the absence of classroom instruction can contribute to learning loss, often called the “summer slide.” She said the pull of screen time adds to the challenge.
“I wanted to break that cycle and get books into the hands of kids,” she said.
Mathews originally used the bus for tutoring. She bought it four years ago in Maine, when it was 24 years old and had 130,000 miles, and later transformed it into the Roving Clover book bus.
Her first stop was at the Memorial Day parade in Sharon in 2023. That summer, she loaded the bus with free books and traveled to town concerts, day camps, summer school, festivals and flu clinics — anywhere children could come aboard and get “as many books as they could hold.”
In addition to attending events in all Region One towns, she has ventured to Torrington, Barkhamsted and Millbrook. She is on the road from Memorial Day to Halloween.
“If someone calls, I go,” she said.
Over the years, she has made the interior of the bus a cozy retreat, with big, fluffy pillows where children can relax and read. Curtains provide a homey look, and lights cast a warm glow.
All the books are donated, and children may take as many as they wish. Mathews said she has distributed more than 90,000 books.
In her newsletter, “The Roving Clover News,” Mathews describes the used books she offers: “They are getting a second chance like the little green bus. The books are dropped off or I pick them up, sort them, clean them and pack them according to genre.”
She described the genres children enjoy, including graphic novels, historical fiction and nonfiction. Some parents are resistant to graphic novels, she said, but they can lead youngsters to explore other types of books.
The response has been heartwarming, Mathews said, describing children’s delight when choosing books.
“I was at a camp last summer, which had all types of amenities, and was so pleased when one boy came over and said about the bus, ‘This is better than the zipline.’”
When a child requests a book she does not have, Mathews often uses her own money to buy a copy from Oblong Books in Millerton.
But the bus has broken down several times recently, prompting the campaign to replace it. Mathews estimates buying another used bus and converting it for the program will cost $100,000.
For information about donating, visit therovingclover.org
