First Book Blog

First Book at the Clinton Global Initiative: Expanding Diversity in Children’s Literature

Posted in: Archive

“The issue is cultural relevance,” said Jane Robinson, First Book Chief Financial Officer, addressing a room of Clinton Global Initiative attendees, all experts in the field of education. “Children need to see themselves in what they read.  Because the price of books is high, book content most often reflects the... Read more

My Brown is Beautiful, See it Please (Guest Post)

Posted in: Archive

Many thanks to Jasmine Villaverde-Mickens, Literacy Program Manager in Education, for this post. First graders at CentroNía’s DC Bilingual Public Charter School made self-portraits — with strokes of a brush, they were tasked to find their skin tone by mixing various colors of paint. “Look at my brown,” one student... Read more

8 Books Not To Be Missed For Your Summer Reading List (4-8yrs)

Posted in: Archive, Our Bookshelf

Here are just some of our favorite titles for your Summer Reading List, available on the First Book Marketplace. Contributions are pulled from the fabulous lesson plans compiled by teachers on Share My Lesson. One in the Middle is the Green Kangaroo – Judy Blume Lately second grader Freddy Dissel... Read more

Biscuits, Gravy and a Boatload of Books for Detroit: First Book’s Partners Combat Summer Slide

Posted in: Archive

First Book and our corporate partners take summer slide seriously. And we all should! It accounts for two-thirds of the achievement gap between poor children and affluent children in the communities we call home. Two of our corporate partners, CBS EcoMedia and Bob Evans, recently took to Detroit to battle... Read more

Take THAT Summer Slide! 15,000 Books to Kids in DC

Posted in: Archive

Recently, we took a hard look at the effects of Summer Slide on children without access to books. We also saw the incredible effects that providing books over the summer, not only to children in general, but to children from low income families specifically, had on reading, comprehension and test... Read more

Lack of Diversity in Kids' Books and How to Fix It

Posted in: Archive

The lack of diversity in children’s literature is a problem that affects all children, especially children from low-income families, who rarely see themselves, their families or their communities in the stories they read. The problem is real. In a study last year, the Cooperative Children’s Book Center reviewed thousands of... Read more

Taylor Felice: How I Ran a Half Marathon to Bring Books to Kids in Need

Posted in: Archive

Taylor Felice, a dedicated supporter of First Book, recently ran the Brooklyn Half-Marathon. Not only did she accomplish the goal of running the race but she also accomplished something else – getting books into the hands of kids in need. Taylor aimed to raise $1800 through First Book to provide... Read more

11 Books Not to Be Missed On Your Summer Reading List (9-12yrs)

Posted in: Archive, Our Bookshelf

2013 Summer Reading List Here are just some of our favorite titles for Summer Reading and available on the First Book Marketplace. Contributions are pulled from the fabulous lesson plans compiled by teachers on Share My Lesson. Little House on the Prairie – Laura Ingalls Wilder Laura Ingalls and her... Read more

Kids Who Read Beat Summer Slide

Posted in: Archive

For kids, few moments in life are more glorious than the end of the school year and the start of summer vacation. Hooray! Three whole months of sweet freedom! But when school’s out, kids from low-income families have a real problem on their hands. Unlike their more affluent peers, most... Read more

5 Secrets Adults Won't Tell You – Kyle Zimmer's Commencement Speech at Saint Mary's College

Posted in: Archive

Our intrepid leader, CEO, and co-founder of First Book, Kyle Zimmer, shared some of the wit and wisdom that motivates the First Book team on a daily basis with a crowd of graduates of Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame this Saturday. Adults Are Not Really Certain of Anything. “In... Read more