For 10-year-old Jerry Wright, it was a chance “to build my vocabulary.”

For his mom, Tanisha Wright, it was an opportunity to gather new selections for Jerry and his 7-year-old sister, Tanaya, for their nightly 30-minute reading sessions. “I try to give them a new book to read every two weeks,” she said.

And for Rachael Bulla, a 2nd-grade teacher at Staten Island’s PS 44, it meant getting to stock up her classroom lending library. “It gives the kids a chance to take books home to add to their homework log,” she said.

Indeed, there were plenty of reasons why more than 1,600 parents, students and teachers lined up around Port Richmond HS on Staten Island for their chance to choose some of the 40,000 free books stacked in tidy rows on the school’s tennis courts on the sun-splashed Saturday morning of Oct. 25.

The UFT, joined by the American Federation of Teachers and the nonprofit First Book, sponsored the event, with an assist from the New York State AFL-CIO and the New York City Central Labor Council.

“This is what 40,000 books look like,” said Debra Penny, the UFT Staten Island borough representative, in welcoming everyone.

Some 100 volunteers, including many UFT members and staff, unloaded a truck over three hours the night before and sorted all the books by age group.

“You’re all going to get some books today,” UFT President Michael Mulgrew promised everyone, including those in line. “Everybody say, ‘I love to read!’”

There was an urgency among those selecting books while a disc jockey spun tunes, giving the event a block-party feel.

Bulla dragged along a suitcase as she made her selections. “There are a couple of teachers from my school here,” she said. “The UFT reps got the word out and we were all really excited.”

Robyn Mahoney, an English language arts teacher at IS 27 on Staten Island, was also using the event to stock her classroom library.

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Joe LoVerde