Category Archive: For Educators

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

Four Ways to Engage Parents and Families in Reading Time

Posted in: 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

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

Why I Wanted to be An Author

Posted in: Author Voices, For Educators, Impact Stories

When I was a little kid, I wanted to be an author because I wanted to find one of my books on the library shelves.  Seriously, that was my dream: a big “PE” (for PERL) sticker on the spine and everything.  While I must confess that seeing my books on... Read more

Why do kids need books at home?

Posted in: For Educators, Impact Stories

Today’s guest blog post is from Sheila Frye (teachingliteracy). Sheila has been in education for over thirteen years serving as a Special Educator, Gifted and Talented Teacher, Reading Teacher, Reading Specialist, and Adjunct Professor of graduate education. A lifelong lover of reading, Sheila is currently a doctorate candidate studying the... Read more

Bullying and Books

Posted in: For Educators, Our Bookshelf

Over the past year, the issue of childhood bullying has ignited national discussion and debate. We have heard countless stories of children, parents, and teachers who have felt powerless in the face of school bullying. Many of us wonder how we can reach young people who are being abused and... Read more