First Book Blog

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

Moore, Oklahoma – Our Hearts Are With You

Posted in: Archive

Yesterday afternoon a massive tornado hit the town of Moore, just outside Oklahoma City. Dozens have been killed, hundreds injured and the town was nearly leveled. This is one of the most destructive tornadoes in the history of the United States and even more destructive weather is possible in the... Read more

The Stories for All Project: Latina Author Guadalupe Garcia McCall on Books as Hope

Posted in: Archive

 Our guest blogger today is author/poet Guadalupe Garcia McCall, whose book “Summer of the Mariposas”, from Lee & Low Books, is part of First Book’s Stories For All Project. “First Book’s mission to make books accessible to low-income families is very close to my heart. It fills me with joy to... Read more

What I Learned from Bill Clinton: How to Prepare Yourself for the Future

Posted in: Archive

“If you can do one thing to prepare yourself for the future… you should spend as much time as you can with people who are different than you”. — President Bill Clinton I recently had the opportunity to join Kyle Zimmer, First Book’s president and CEO, at a special event... Read more