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John Badman|The Telegraph North Elementary School third grade student Gavin Gordon on Wednesday shows Mabel Bland the book he was considering to use his gold coin to buy from special vending machines now in Alton elementary schools.

John Badman|The Telegraph North Elementary School fourth grade student Arrissa Johnson, left, and third grader Gavin Gordon, right, began reading their new books as soon as they fell from the machine.

John Badman|The Telegraph North Elementary School Principal Heather Johnson, top, helps students cut the ribbon on the school's new book vending machine made possible by the Alton-Godfrey Rotary Club.

ALTON — All seven of Alton's elementary schools have a new feature this year: book vending machines.

The repurposed snack vending machines will give any student who earns a gold token the chance to select one of the books inside. School staff said the tokens will be given to students who excel in reading, exhibit good behavior, become a Student of the Month or reach a personal goal they have set with their teacher.

The machines at East, West and North elementary schools are sponsored by the Alton-Godfrey Rotary Club. The book vending machine at Lovejoy School is sponsored by the Alton Education Association. Sponsors are being sought for machines at the other three schools.

On Wednesday, Alton-Godfrey Rotary Club members Ron Mayhew and Larry Thompson were on hand to watch four students who had earned tokens for the machine cut a ribbon and receive their first books. All four were very excited as North Elementary Principal Heather Johnson helped them cut the ribbon and make their selections.

Each vending machine holds about 22 books which can vary in reading age and type. Fourth grade student Emmalyn Brooks on Wednesday chose a classic, Charlote's Webb by E.B. White.

In a world where nearly everything is online, the machines are designed to help a whole new generation develop a love for reading actual books.

John Badman is a 1982 graduate of SIU-Carbondale, with a major in cinema and photography and a minor in law enforcement administration of justice. He has worked at The Telegraph in Alton full-time for 39 years and has been named the National Press Photographers Association's Region-5 Photographer of the Year six times.