For decades, young readers around the country have learned to associate books with pizza. 

Schools nationwide partnered with Pizza Hut Book IT! to reward meeting monthly reading goals with a voucher for a personal pan pizza. The Pizza Hut program — which still exists — celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. 

It evokes a nostalgia in many, including state Rep. María Isa Pérez-Vega, DFL-St. Paul. 

“These are the programs that got us engaged to wanting to go to the library, and wanting to become a part of book clubs and sharing our diverse stories by authors that are written from our communities,” said Pérez-Vega.