Charlotte has nonprofits for many needs, but the organizers of the new charity, Promising Pages, have come up with a literary first:

A roving party - that promotes reading - by gift-wrapping recycled children's books - and giving them out like birthday presents at afterschool programs, churches and social services agencies.

On Tuesday, that party showed up in the lobby of Crisis Assistance Ministry, and within minutes a few dozen miserably bored children were jumping and giggling with books in hand.

Kendra Peterson and her 4-year-old daughter Sanaa had been waiting nearly five hours for help with household bills when they were handed a copy of "Cathy the Cow."

Sanaa was beside herself.

"This is wonderful," said Peterson, after reading "Cathy the Cow" aloud. "I planned for this to take a long time, and it's nice to be able to teach Sanaa something other than the patience needed for waiting."

Promising Pages founder Kristina Cruise says that about 60,000 children in the greater Charlotte area are growing up in homes without books.

Her nonprofit aims to change that, not just by giving away books, but by doing so in a "Chuck E. Cheese-type atmosphere," including a gaudily dressed master of ceremonies.

"Just look at these smiles. I can't think of any place I'd rather be," Cruise said Tuesday, as she helped pass out three dozen books to Sanaa and other kids.

"This is not about getting recycled books that end up on shelves. It's about seeing something click in children's eyes and making them excited about reading."

The group recently launched a campaign with Classroom Central called "Books and Basics," to collect schools supplies and 200,000 new and gently used books.

The group's relationship with Crisis Assistance Ministry is another of what Cruise hopes will be a growing number of partnerships.

Crisis Assistance, which helps needy families with rent and utility payments, typically has more than 100 people waiting when its doors open, including many with children.

What better time for a book?

"My first thought when I heard about it was, what a fantastic idea," said Pete Heuberger of Crisis Assistance. "We can't get enough children's books here, so it was a natural partnership."

Cruise came up with the idea in 2008 while working as a TV journalist in Ohio. She was covering a story on a food bank and noticed dozens of toddlers in line with their parents.

"I saw this girl that was 2 or 3 years old, and she looked so sad. I just tried to think of something that might cheer up a child like that," she said.

Promising Pages was born in October, a year after Cruise moved to Charlotte. It's operating on no budget with a dozen volunteers.

Four volunteers were on hand Tuesday at Crisis Assistance, including Erin Shomber playing the role of "Erma the Bookworma." She passed out books, chatted with the children and took requests for storytelling. It was her first time in character.

"The best moment was when I sat down and read with two little girls," said Shomber. "The big sister couldn't wait to read the book to her little sister, and that's what it's really about."