JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — For the first time, Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan brought her River City Readers Bookmobile on Friday morning to the North Florida School of Special Education. 

The mobile library is part of her citywide literacy initiative, aimed at improving reading skills and making books accessible to every family in Jacksonville. Students eagerly climbed aboard to pick out books of their own after Deegan finished reading to them.

“We want every child in Jacksonville to have that experience,” Deegan said. “If they fall in love with reading, it increases their vocabulary, it makes them more likely to succeed in life – and that’s how we build productive citizens.”

But Deegan also got a firsthand look at one of the school’s most innovative programs: Horse-Powered Reading. Instead of reading at desks, students guide miniature horses through literacy exercises. Teachers say the hands-on approach takes away classroom pressure, helping children connect with the stories they’re learning.

“You can tell they love it,” Deegan said. 

“They stop worrying so much about decoding words and start focusing on the joy of reading,” said teacher Vicky Dove. 

Teachers and staff said the program has already transformed students’ confidence – including 17-year-old Ben Brown, who has Down syndrome. Once anxious about reading, Ben now beams as he practices literacy skills alongside the horses. “Makes me happy,” he said.

Deegan says both her bookmobile and programs like Horse-Powered Reading show how creative approaches can spark a lifelong love of reading. “It’s fun to see their faces light up,” she said. 

The Horse-Powered Reading program is limited to students at the North Florida School of Special Education, but the school also offers therapeutic riding classes to the public.