I want to tell you a story about Keondra. In a few days, Keondra will start second grade at Harrowgate Elementary School in Chester, Virginia. She cannot wait to be back in the classroom. When she began elementary school, Keondra was a reluctant reader. She struggled academically. And then she... Read more
Krista Dawson, who has been getting books from First Book for years, works with preschool children in Richmond, Virginia and recently responded to us with a great list of books that she uses to get kids started with reading. We love the list so much we created a bundle on the... Read more
Elephant and Piggie: I Broke My Trunk – Mo Willems Gerald is careful. Piggie is not. Piggie cannot help smiling. Gerald can. Gerald worries so that Piggie does not have to. Gerald and Piggie are best friends. In I Broke My Trunk! Gerald tells Piggie the long, crazy story about... Read more
“I really loved being able to do something hands on for First Book. Knowing that the backpack I put together at the convention gave each child five new books was extremely rewarding.” – Pi Beta Phi Virginia Gamma Chapter President and senior at the College of William and Mary, Caroline... Read more
Is there a teacher in your life who works with kids in need? First Book needs your help in connecting 5,000 new teachers, librarians, reading specialists and school administrators with nearly free and free NEW books for back-to-school. Anyone working at a Title I school is eligible to sign up... Read more
When Estrella Elementary opened their doors in 2010, they had barely any books available to students. A Title I school located in an impoverished Los Angeles neighborhood, Estrella can only supply a limited number of books and educational resources to each classroom, and has no books at all to help... Read more
The lack of diversity in children’s books is a serious problem, and one that First Book is working to solve through The Stories for All Project. This terrific piece by artist Tina Kugler illustrates some statistics from the Cooperative Children’s Book Center. And, while the illustration is charming, the reality... Read more
Mary Pope Osborne, longtime friend and partner of First Book, is offering her readers the opportunity to apply directly for free collections of her beloved titles through her very own Classroom Adventures Program. These books are provided for by grants which Ms. Osborne awards through her Gift of Books Program... Read more
“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
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