People often ask how I can buy a book for $2.60. First Book Canada’s Marketplace is the answer. I work as a school librarian in three schools in rural Nova Scotia. The schools I work in have small student populations, between approximately 50 – 170 students. Of course the library... Read more
Jennifer Mook-Sang was born with a book in her hand in Guyana, South America. Reading is her passion. When she started reading picture books to her two boys, she realized that writing a book for kids would be the best thing anyone could do. After trying to write a story... Read more
Gurdeep Dhaliwal is the Strategic Alliances Manager at First Book Canada. When you first started, what was that like? I completed the Creative Book Publishing Program at Humber College, and through that the opportunity to apply for an internship with First Book Canada came up. From there, I was hired on as a Strategic Alliance Coordinator. It was just... Read more
TORONTO, Ontario (December 18, 2018) – At the Ontario Public Service Holiday Gift Drive, First Book Canada and members of the Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services donated 5,000 books to children in need. The books were generously donated by First Book Canada’s publishing partner Penguin Random House Canada and they will be distributed to the... Read more
In October, First Book Canada sent out a request to all members who had participated in a program this year to send in photos of receiving or distributing the books. We were overwhelmed by the response and received so many photos that it was difficult to fit them into the... Read more
Tom Best is the Executive Director of First Book Canada. When Tom started, there were only about 125 registered members. He’s seen it grow from this concentrated number to a steadily growing network of over 9,000 members. Can you start with telling me a bit about your day to day? The nice thing is that... Read more
Remember the first book that you felt was speaking directly to you? The first book that made you feel seen? Or the first book that helped you through a difficult experience? Maybe you got all that from one book or from multiple books, over the course of your childhood. Imagine... Read more
TORONTO, Ontario (November 13, 2018) – Yesterday, First Book Canada held a press conference at Lord Dufferin Junior and Senior Public School to announce Amazon Canada’s donation of 100,000 books to Canadian children in high-needs communities. This generous donation is arriving in time for the holidays, allowing kids across Canada to have access to brand new, high-quality... Read more
TORONTO, Ontario (November 8, 2018) – On Thursday, November 1, First Book Canada brought 6Dad and former city councilor Norm Kelly and Canadian children’s author Paul Covello to Lynngate Junior Public School to celebrate the power of reading and education. This event included a presentation of a generous donation from Xpand... Read more
This post is created in collaboration with the Government of Canada. November 18-24 is Education Savings Week! This is a great opportunity to talk about saving early for a child’s education after high school. Whether it’s an apprenticeship program, trade school, college or university, post-secondary education can open up a world of opportunities for a child. What... Read more