Going to the hospital can be a scary thing for a child, and parents. That's one of the reasons why the pediatric unit at St. Mary-Corwin Hospital gives kids something to do: read.

Not only does reading help identify potential developmental problems, but it forces children to focus on something other than what the doctors and nurses are trying to do at the time, such as draw blood.

However, like many non-profit organizations, having the resources to accomplish the task can be difficult at times. Thankfully, 2010 will not be one of those times for this hospital.

Monday, the Pueblo Barnes & Noble store donated more than 2,100 books to the pediatric department for their program. "If you've ever had a child in the hospital, you know how difficult it is when they are there for such a long length of time, to have something to do," says Lauren Hund, Assistant Manager of the Pueblo Barnes & Noble store.

Every year Barnes & Noble stores all over the country conduct holiday book drives around Christmas. Customers are asked if they would be willing to purchase a low priced book and donate it to the drive. Those books are then donated to a local non-profit organization.

This is the second time the Pueblo store has donated books to a local hospital. In 2009 they were given to Parkview Medical Center. Doctors say the donations help tremendously. "When you can bring tools like this into families that perhaps don't have the resources and give them a new way to interact with each other, you do a lot towards addressing the healing process," says Dr. Steve Simerville, Medical Director, of Pediatric Hospital Service at St. Mary-Corwin Hospital.

Monday, two children, Joshua and Elizabeth, were given books. Joshua is suffering from pneumonia and has been in and out of the hospital. Elizabeth is a little older, and this is her first visit to the hospital. Both kids enjoyed the books they were given. Joshua's book was about tractors and Elizabeth's about horses.

The shy young lady thanked the Barnes & Noble employees for the books that were left for her. It's just one of many thanks that southern Colorado kids are sure to utter this year.