Paul Gilbertson, 53, along with wife, Chris, started "With Wings and a Halo - R.E.A.C.H. a Child" two years ago out of their Waunakee home. The couple supplies backpacks filled with books to police officers and first responders so they can give books to children in crisis situations. Started in Dane County, the backpacks are now in about 5,000 squad cars and ambulances throughout all 72 counties in Wisconsin and in parts of eight other states.

How did you get the idea to get the books into the hands of kids in distress?

It started right after Gays Mills was flooded, back in 2007. My youngest daughter and I went out to the site ... thinking we'd bring some books with us and hand them out to kids. When we got there, everything was all roped off and the Salvation Army and the Red Cross had already set up their stations. There weren't any kids anywhere. So we figured there's got to be a way you can get books in the hands of children right at the time of crises and the only way to do that is through the police and first responders.

Is there one child that you can think of, where you know you've made a difference?

There was an abuse situation with two adults and nine children in an apartment building on the North Side of Madison. The officer grabbed two backpacks of our children's books and she handed them to the kids. She came back to check on the situation and one of the adults was reading to the kids and another child was reading to a sibling.

What was your family ritual for reading to your own children?

My wife was instrumental in reading to the kids. My oldest daughter became what they call a "spontaneous reader," like at the age of 4 all of a sudden she could just pick up a book and read it cover to cover. She was then a big reader and read to everybody in the family.

Was there a family favorite book?

"Strega Nona" (written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola) was one of the family favorites. That was read to the kids by their grandmother.

Do you have a favorite children's book?

I was more into the "Robinson Crusoe" kind of books as a kid. I enjoyed Mark Twain. I was always into the adventure-pirate stuff. "Robinson Crusoe" made me realize the power of a book to take you to another place.

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