First Book Blog

How STEM Books Make a Difference to Girls in One Dallas Afterschool Program

Posted in: Archive, Impact Stories

One afternoon last week, a big box of books arrived in Miss Vicky’s classroom. After she explained to her students, who devote each Wednesday to studying science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), that the books were about “why things work and how they work”, the girls “shot up from their... Read more

[INFOGRAPHIC] STEM Education Makes a Difference in Children's Lives

Posted in: Archive

CLICK THE IMAGE TO SEE A BIGGER VERSION. Thanks to partners like Lockheed Martin, First Book is helping thousands of kids in need get the books and resources they need. If you work with children from low-income families, sign up with First Book today to get brand-new, high-quality STEM books. Read more

Unique Holiday Gift Options from the First Book Gift Catalog

Posted in: Archive

You can honor a loved one with a meaningful holiday gift and make the holidays merry and bright for children in need with the First Book Gift Catalog. Here’s how: Pick a gift that inspires.  From a collection of books that is just for giggles to a truckload of books... Read more

Does Soman Chainani, Author of The School For Good And Evil, Consider himself good?… or evil?

Posted in: Archive, Author Voices

“Sophie had waited all her life to be kidnapped.” Does that quote seem familiar to you? It’s the widely recognized first line of the book, The School For Good And Evil. Soman Chainani is the author behind the book, which is available through First Book. If you missed out on our video... Read more

Are My Charitable Dollars Going to Good Use?

Posted in: Archive

Even in a slowly recovering economy, Americans are still givers, donating over $316 billion last year (an increase of 3.5% over the previous year), with the vast majority of that money coming not from companies or foundations, but from individual donors. At First Book, we rely on the generosity of... Read more

Four Ways to Engage Parents and Families in Reading Time

Posted in: Archive, For Educators

Today is National Family Literacy Day, created by our friends at the National Center for Families Learning (NCFL) to celebrate families who are improving their lives through continued learning. This issue is an important one for the classrooms and community programs that First Book serves. We recently asked hundreds of... Read more

Across America in an RV With First Book

Posted in: Archive

Today’s blog post is by Brenda Berg, who loaded her family into an RV and spent over half a year traveling across the country. They called their adventure the Gump Trip, and along the way they distributed 6,000 brand-new books to kids in need at local schools and community programs... Read more

Stand Up to Bullying with These 10 Kids Books

Posted in: Archive, For Educators, Our Bookshelf

Bullying continues to be an ongoing issue among peers and students, especially at schools. October is National Bullying Prevention Month so we’ve put together a list of 10 anti-bullying books that can help raise awareness of this critical concern throughout classrooms. Wonder – R. J. Palacio In a world where bullying... Read more

My Mother Is a Foreigner But Not to Me: A Q&A with Julianne Moore

Posted in: Archive, Author Voices

Julianne Moore recently joined First Book at Round the Clock Nursery in Harlem to read her newest children’s book ‘My Mom is a Foreigner, But Not to Me.’ After the event, she spoke with us about her love of reading and how she came to write children’s books. Q: Have... Read more

How One DC Charter School Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

Posted in: Archive

We are in the midst of Hispanic Heritage Month 2013 – one of the many year-round events where programs within First Book’s network create learning experiences and lasting memories for the children they serve. One of these programs is CentroNía, a multicultural learning center in Washington, DC. CentroNía’s librarian Josarie... Read more