First Book Blog

Inspire a Love for STEAM with First Book!

Posted in: For Educators

Joey Mathis is a First Book Marketing and Communication intern. She is currently an undergrad student at Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia. This month and all year long, First Book invites everyone to celebrate STEAM! STEAM highlights the importance of Science, Technology and Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics in education and... Read more

10 Scary (And Semi-Scary) Stories for Kids and Teens

Posted in: Our Bookshelf

Scary stories let readers explore their fears or indulge their cravings for high-stimulation content in a safe, controlled space – between the pages of a book. To help you get started, the wonderful team behind the curation of First Book’s Marketplace has selected 10 books that offer gentle seasonal content... Read more

Nonprofits Join Forces to Expedite Access to Diverse and Affordable Children’s Books

Posted in: Press Room

W.K. Kellogg Foundation Supports the Initiative with $1 Million Grant to First Book  WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 18, 2022) – Twenty-seven nonprofits and membership organizations from across the U.S. are joining forces to tackle a common challenge that has impeded children’s literacy for decades:  the lack of high-quality, affordable children’s books by... Read more

Helpful Resources for Educators during Banned Books Week

Posted in: Focus on First Book, For Educators

As we go into Banned Books Week, the news about unprecedented efforts to unjustly ban books from schools and libraries has never felt more urgent. Here at First Book, we have an intentional commitment to providing diverse, honest, and affirming titles on the Marketplace. We know that, consistent with the... Read more

First Book and Room to Read Come Together to Distribute 30,000 Books in Dari and Pashto to Refugee and Immigrant Afghan Children

Posted in: Press Room

The Collaboration Taps into Strengths of Each Organization to Answer this Critical Need September 8, 2022 (Washington D.C.) — First Book, the largest online network of educators serving children in need, and Room to Read, the global education organization creating a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality, today announced... Read more

Reading Opens the World Campaign Surpasses 500,000

Posted in: Our Partners

Joey Mathis is a First Book Marketing and Communication intern. She is currently an undergrad student at Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia. First Book has partnered with the American Federation of Teachers for more than a decade. Together we have worked to combat educational inequity by bringing books and educational... Read more

Meet First Book’s 550,000th member: NYC educator Tamika

Posted in: First Book Community Highlight, Focus on First Book, For Educators, Impact Stories

This summer, Tamika made First Book history by becoming the 550,000th educator to join the First Book Network. A teacher at a middle school in the New York public school system, Tamika attended a Reading Opens the World book give-away held in the Bronx by the United Federation of Teachers,... Read more

First Book Wins Big on Celebrity Family Feud 

Posted in: Focus on First Book

This guest post was written by Haley Brown, a First Book marketing and Communications Intern. She is currently an undergraduate student at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.   We asked 100 educators where the best place to get books, supplies and free resources for the school year was and…... Read more

Alternative Reading Formats for Educators 

Posted in: For Educators

Joey Mathis is a First Book Marketing and Communication intern. She is currently an undergrad student at Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia. The First Book Marketplace is home to a large selection of educational resources available at affordable prices to the members of our Network. We strive to address the... Read more

First Book and Education Researcher Susan Neuman Launch Groundbreaking Classroom Library Tool as Students Struggle to Access Literacy Rich Environments

Posted in: Press Room

Educator Survey Spotlights Inequity and Financial Hurdles of Building an Engaging and Effective Classroom Library WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 17, 2022) – First Book, the largest online network of educators serving children in need, in partnership with literacy expert and education researcher Susan Neuman, is launching a new tool to assess... Read more