YONGSAN GARRISON, South Korea — A trip to the doctor’s office can be scary for anyone, but for a baby or toddler facing repeated inoculations from strangers, it can be downright terrifying.

Thanks to Capt. Christine Waasdorp, staff pediatrician at the 121st General Hospital, kids and their parents can look forward to at least one good thing during a doctor’s visit: a new book.

A few months ago, Waasdorp began a “Reach Out and Read” program at Yongsan to provide a free book after wellness exams to every child 6 months to 5 years old. The program promotes literacy by meshing books with pediatric care.

“We have thousands … my office is filled with boxes of books,” she said recently. “We’ve given out about 300 books so far.”

The book supply should last about a year, Waasdorp said.

The American Forces Spouses’ Club and the American Woman’s Club of Korea each gave $1,500, and Waasdorp and other doctors began giving away the books about two months ago.

Reach Out and Read allows health care providers to buy books at a discount. To qualify for the program, Waasdorp assessed the economic status of the military community she helps treat.

Her research showed that statistically, based on basic pay, 40 percent of the U.S. Army community in South Korea is considered to be under the national poverty level. Mainly, she said, that encompasses soldiers with a rank of E-4 or below with family members.

She also learned that almost 70 percent of military spouses in South Korea use English as a second language: Most wives are South Korean and Russian with a smattering of Hispanics, Filipinas and Japanese.

Some of the books she ordered are bilingual.

She said both clubs have offered to renew their donation for the next year.

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