First graders at Prescott Elementary listen to First United Church of Prescott volunteers Jeanne Haynie (top left) and Sonny Haynie (top right) as they introduce new books for the children to take home.

Thanks to the Hamilton Haven nonprofit and First United Methodist Church of Prescott, kindergartners and first graders attending Prescott Elementary each got a copy this afternoon of Jim Carrey’s How Roland Rolls to take home.

Eight volunteers from each of the two entities went into classrooms after lunch to present the books, which were already stacked in boxes that had been delivered into classrooms.

Jim Carrey’s book is about a wave in the ocean named Roland who is feeling distressed about a ship parting him from his friends and about possibly dying when he hits the shore. But he learns, rather than being only a wave, he is the entire ocean, and he extends into land in rivers and lakes, and even into human beings as tears.

The books were obtained, according to an April 21st press release from Hamilton Haven, from “Ferncliff Camp & Conference Center, a nonprofit organization just west of Little Rock known for its summer camp program, had books in a warehouse which were purchased by FUMC.”

In Prescott Elementary School teacher Brittany Brown’s classroom, her first graders greeted the books enthusiastically as they were given to each child by First United Methodist volunteer Sonny Haynie. His wife Jeanne introduced the books, specifically Roland as a character.  Sounds of awe and laughter could be heard from the kids as they leafed through the pages.

Hamilton Haven Administrative Assistant Leslie Hughes said a total of 167 books were delivered as part of the joint program with FUMC. “What’s good about this is these kids are at least going to have one book in their home this summer,” she said. She added that she hopes this is the first of such yearly donations of books to children.