Author Archive: Tracy Bartley

David J. Johns: The Importance of Literacy Among African American Youth

Posted in: For Educators, Our Partners

Welcome to First Book’s celebrity blog series. Each month we will be connecting with influential voices who share a belief in the power of literacy, and who have worked with First Book to curate a unique collection that inspires a love of reading and learning. All recommended books are available... Read more

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

Posted in: 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

Five Thousand Brand New Books to Kids From Military Families Courtesy of Pi Beta Phi

Posted in: Impact Stories

“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

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

Posted in: For Educators, Impact Stories

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

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

Posted in: Author Voices

 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

The Stories for All Project: Author Pat Mora on the Connection Children Make with Books that Include their Culture and Language

Posted in: Author Voices

Our guest blogger today is author Pat Mora, whose book “Yum! Mmmm! Que Rico!”, from Lee & Low Books, is part of First Book’s Stories For All Project. “Once upon a time . . .” A magic phrase that can change our breathing. As far as we know, humans are the... Read more

The Stories for All Project: African American Author Tony Medina on Connecting Multicultural Books with Children of Color

Posted in: Author Voices

Our guest blogger today is author Tony Medina, whose book “DeShawn Days”, from Lee & Low Books, is part of First Book’s Stories For All Project. “As a child in the Throgs Neck Housing Projects in the Bronx, I did not grow up with books. The only person I saw reading... Read more

The Stories for All Project: Native American Author Joe Bruchac on Growing Up on the Reservation and the Power of Books

Posted in: Author Voices

Our guest blogger today is author Joseph Bruchac, whose book “Jim Thorpe’s Bright Path”, from Lee & Low Books, is part of First Book’s Stories For All Project. What does a book mean to a child? A book all his or her own? I can’t remember a time when I didn’t... Read more