As students across metro Atlanta are on winter break, many educators are focused on a familiar concern: how to keep kids reading once they leave the classroom.

For Dr. Kirk Buis, a former teacher and the founder and CEO of the Buis Book Foundation, the answer is simple: give students books they actually want to read.

"So right now I'm actually looking for some older books," Buis said, sorting through stacks of donated titles as he prepares for another school visit.

For the past four years, Buis has made it his mission to boost literacy rates one book at a time. At the end of each semester, he visits three elementary schools and hand-delivers thousands of books, allowing students to browse and choose for themselves.

"We'll end up probably with about three thousand books for them to choose from," Buis said.

The effort comes amid sobering statewide data. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly 40% of fourth-grade students in Georgia are not proficient in reading. By eighth grade, the challenge deepens, with only 31% of students scoring at or above proficient levels.

Buis hopes early access—and early joy—around reading can help reverse those trends.

Inside school gyms and libraries, his visits feel more like celebrations than lessons. Students cheer as tables of books are unveiled, organized by reading level and interest.

"We brought all of these books for you today to choose from," Buis tells students. "There are easier books over here, chapter books over here—but you're going to be able to find books that you want to read."

At Britt Elementary School, educators say the impact is immediate.

"Elementary school is about skills. Middle and high school is about applying those skills to learn content," said Principal Melissa Madsen. "Those eighth graders that aren't reading—we've got to find ways to help them, because they'll be able to survive. But we want people to thrive, not just survive."

School librarian Dennis Howell says the struggle often starts beyond school walls.

"It's hard to get a student to concentrate on reading if they haven't had breakfast," Howell said. "We as adults can't just say, 'Well, my job is just to teach you to read.'"

Buis believes the current approach to literacy instruction also deserves scrutiny—especially for students who struggle early.

"For too many of our vulnerable students, their first experience with reading is often a negative one," he said. "They're put into remedial groups or onto a computer program, and what it does is make them like reading less—which is the opposite of what we need."

His vision goes beyond a handful of schools. Georgia has hundreds of Title I elementary schools, and Buis hopes his program can expand statewide.

"Would it be a miracle—a Christmas miracle—if we could get this kind of program set up at every elementary school?" he said. "That would be fantastic."

For now, as winter break begins, thousands of metro Atlanta students are heading home with something new in their backpacks—and a reason to keep reading long after the bell rings.