First Book Blog

How One Shy Girl Found Friends Through Books

Posted in: Impact Stories

We recently met Victoria Hammond, a Program Coordinator at Linwood YMCA in Kansas City. She told us about Leigh, a particularly shy girl in her afterschool program who found confidence and friends through reading. Victoria noticed that she played alone and didn’t have the self-esteem to introduce herself to the... Read more

Five Fun Ideas to Celebrate Día de los niños, Día de los libros

Posted in: Archive

Are you celebrating Día this year? We have five fun ideas to fuel your celebration planning. In its 20th year, Children’s Day, Book Day/El día de los niños, Día de los libros (known as Día) is the annual celebration of bookjoy created by children’s author Pat Mora. The nationally recognized... Read more

One Story to Engage ELL Families: The Wednesday Surprise

Posted in: Impact Stories

Last week, we featured Roxana Barillas, Director of Hispanic Engagement at First Book. She shared her thoughts on the ways educators can connect with ELL families. This week, Roxana shares one book from  Build Strong Families With Stories that can help in engaging ELL families in their child’s learning. One... Read more

Ways Educators Can Connect With ELL Families

Posted in: For Educators, Impact Stories

Today’s guest blogger is Roxana Barillas, Director of Hispanic Engagement at First Book. When I came to the U.S. from El Salvador at age 12, I had no knowledge of English and jumped right into a new school. My mom worked multiple jobs to support my four siblings and me,... Read more

Open eBooks Opens World of Digital Reading to Children

Posted in: Press Releases

Major publishers contribute thousands of titles to benefit students in need February 24, 2016 – Open eBooks, a new initiative and e-reader app that will make thousands of popular, top-selling eBooks available to children in need for free, is launching today. First Lady Michelle Obama is releasing a video today... Read more

World Read Aloud Day Book List: Our Five Favorite Books for February

Posted in: Our Bookshelf

February 24 is World Read Aloud Day. To celebrate, we’ve selected our five favorite books to read aloud with kids – tomorrow and all year long. You’ll find silly books with vivid illustrations, beautiful poems in English and Spanish and a nonfiction book about animals. To share with older readers,... Read more

Home Libraries Make A Huge Difference

Posted in: Impact Stories

Home libraries make a huge difference in kid’s lives. A 20-year study found that, regardless of nationality, parents’ education level or economic status, the presence of books in the home is one of greatest indicators of a child’s academic success. Researchers found that having as few as 20 books in... Read more

How To Make Reading Fun and Create Lifelong Readers

Posted in: Impact Stories

Brian Smith is on a mission: make reading fun and create lifelong readers. An educator at Newton Conover City Schools in North Carolina, Brian called upon Jarrett J. Krosoczka, author to bring books to life. Brian stocked each fourth grade classroom in his district with several copies of all ten... Read more

Tablets Help Struggling Readers Gain Confidence

Posted in: Impact Stories

Earlier this school year Sharlene Scott, an Alternative Language Arts teacher in Gardena, California, brought two brand-new tablets into class for her students to explore. She was able to purchase them on the First Book Marketplace thanks to a partnership with Blackboard, Inc. Sharlene loaded the tablets with several apps... Read more

How One Librarian Uses Food to Keep Kids Learning

Posted in: Impact Stories

“I always tell our kids that they are like cars, motorcycles or trucks,”says Theresa Mai, the librarian at Truscott Elementary in Loveland, Colorado. “We talk about their parents getting fuel for their car – how it can’t run without the right fuel. Their bodies are the same way. Food is... Read more