First Book Blog

Wipro, First Book Bring Backpacks, New Books to Atlanta Area Kids in Need

Posted in: Our Partners, Press Room

Volunteer-led partnership focused on promoting power of reading, addressing “Summer Slide” Atlanta, USA, May 11, 2017: Five hundred Atlanta area elementary students will have new backpacks with three books each ahead of summer break as the result of a partnership between Wipro Limited (NYSE: WIT, BSE: 507685, NSE: WIPRO), a... Read more

First Book and Macmillan Mark 50th Anniversary of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? With First-ever Bilingual Edition

Posted in: Our Partners, Press Room

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?/Oso Pardo, Oso Pardo, ¿Qué Ves Ahí? Expands First Book’s Stories for All ProjectTM, Bringing Classics and Diverse Books to Kids in Need WASHINGTON, May 8, 2017 – First Book, the nonprofit social enterprise that has distributed more than 160 million books to... Read more

The Magic of Día: A Conversation with Author Lupe Ruiz-Flores

Posted in: Author Voices

  The celebration of Día, or El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day), can happen every day, but traditionally culminates each year on April 30th. This nationally recognized initiative emphasizes the importance of literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds. It is a... Read more

Andrea Davis Pinkney on Connecting the African American and Jewish American Experience

Posted in: Author Voices

First Book President and CEO Kyle Zimmer recently sat down with award-winning author Andrea Davis Pinkney for a conversation about her latest book, A Poem for Peter — a book she describes as her “love letter” to Ezra Jack Keats, creator of the iconic children’s classic, The Snowy Day. In researching... Read more

First Book and NEA Foundation Commit to Supporting Social and Emotional Learning for Kids in Need Through Increased Access to Diverse Books

Posted in: Our Partners, Press Room

Diverse books can catalyze empathy, understanding—a teacher-identified top-priority WASHINGTON, April 17, 2017 – First Book, the nonprofit social enterprise, and the NEA Foundation, are joining in a two-year partnership to respond to a teacher-identified top education priority—the acute need to cultivate social and emotional wellness, by expanding the Stories for... Read more

Newbery Medal-winning Author Kwame Alexander Joins National Geographic and First Book to Support Kids in Need

Posted in: Press Room

Educator-focused event features keynote address from Alexander and reading from his book, Animal Ark: Celebrating Our Wild World in Poetry and Pictures, a National Geographic Kids publication WASHINGTON, April 3, 2017 – Tomorrow night, Newbery Medal-winning author Kwame Alexander will address hundreds of educators and professionals supporting children in need... Read more

Mario Batali Foundation Celebrates it Triple Initiative to Invest in Boston’s Children With Programs Focused on Literacy and Nutrition

Posted in: Press Room

Mario Batali Foundation Joins Forces with Books for Kids, First Book and FoodCorps to Build Libraries, Provide Free Books to Educators, and Make Nutritious Food Attractive and Accessible BOSTON, March 22, 2017 – The Mario Batali Foundation (MBF) has made three major grants to improve literacy and nutrition for children... Read more

First Book Dramatically Expands Access to Free Books and Educational Resources for Children in Need, Citing Rapid Growth in Demand

Posted in: Focus on First Book, Press Room

First Book National Book Bank launches new platform granting full-time access to resources as the nonprofit social enterprise reports 40 percent increase in registered network WASHINGTON, March 7, 2017 – With school funding in more than 23 states still below pre-recession levels, and with afterschool and youth programs challenged for... Read more

First Book Adds “Hidden Figures” to Diverse Titles Available to Educators Serving Kids in Need

Posted in: Press Room

Young readers’ edition of story behind real-life heroes now accessible to girls growing up in low-income communities WASHINGTON, March 2, 2017 – “Hidden Figures,” the New York Times bestseller and inspiration for the Oscar-nominated film, is now available at an affordable price to First Book’s network of more than 300,000... Read more

Penguin Random House to Publish Forthcoming Books by Former U.S. President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama

Posted in: Press Room

NEW YORK CITY, February 28, 2017— Penguin Random House is pleased to announce that it will publish forthcoming books by former President of the United States Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama. Penguin Random House CEO Markus Dohle announced today that the company has acquired world publication rights... Read more