All too often, young people feel they don’t have the power to fix problems in their communities. How can books inspire students to take action and become engaged citizens? Earlier this year, First Book, along with our partners the American Federation of Teachers and the Albert Shanker Institute, presented educators nationwide... Read more
To celebrate Veterans Day and honor our United States service members, we would like to highlight First Book’s partnership with United Through Reading (UTR), a nonprofit public benefit organization dedicated to uniting military families through shared reading experiences. Every quarter, First Book’s Concierge Services team works with UTR to develop... Read more
First Book and Pearson, the world’s learning company, are encouraging America to #ReadUP as part of their campaign dedicated to raising the importance of literacy in the week leading up to Election Day. The campaign will unlock funds for new books to children in need and promote informed decision-making as Election Day... Read more
With a waiting list of more than 400 students, Vanessa Osbourne knew she needed to offer another option for the kids who weren’t going to be able to participate in the pre-kindergarten program. “We wanted to make sure that if those kids didn’t get a Pre-K experience that we offer... Read more
What could bring together teachers, community organizations and hungry friends of First Book? Answer: Pizza! First Book is proud to partner with Pizza Hut and excited to take part in their new 10-year campaign, Pizza Hut: The Literacy Project. When friends, families, and co-workers sit down to eat or order... Read more
Since 2008, nonprofit organization Link to Libraries has served kids in need all across Western Massachusetts and Connecticut. President and Co-Founder Susan Jaye-Kaplan helped start the organization to give kids opportunities to explore our world through books and expand their horizons. Recently it has become so much more. Link to... Read more
Will they still be here tomorrow? students often ask Morgan VanClief, the librarian at P.A. Shaw Elementary School in Dorchester, MA. They’re asking about the brand new books that Morgan has been able to bring to the school’s library through generous grants and access to the First Book Marketplace. Many... Read more
Author Jason Reynolds’ books start the conversations about the difficult issues facing kids today. His experiences, as told through the characters in his stories, are very much like those of the children we serve – which is why we feel it’s so important for them to hear Jason’s voice. We... Read more
The canine volunteers at SitStayRead visit classrooms in some of Chicago’s most troubled neighborhoods. The elementary school students they meet often juggle more responsibilities than most kids their age, so learning to read can seem like an extra chore. If you feel stressed about reading, like some of our little... Read more
Six years ago, Sue Resnick and Liz Frankel started the Cottage Kids Read program at the Pleasantville Cottage School. While volunteering at the school they noticed something that struck them. There weren’t any books to read for pleasure in the cottages where the students lived. Located in Pleasantville, NY, the... Read more