First Book Blog

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

Does Soman Chainani, Author of The School For Good And Evil, Consider himself good?… or evil?

Posted in: Author Voices

“Sophie had waited all her life to be kidnapped.” Does that quote seem familiar to you? It’s the widely recognized first line of the book, The School For Good And Evil. Soman Chainani is the author behind the book, which is available through First Book. If you missed out on our video... 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

Across America in an RV With First Book

Posted in: Impact Stories

Today’s blog post is by Brenda Berg, who loaded her family into an RV and spent over half a year traveling across the country. They called their adventure the Gump Trip, and along the way they distributed 6,000 brand-new books to kids in need at local schools and community programs... 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

Stories For All: Todd Parr – It's Okay to be Different

Posted in: Author Voices

Author, illustrator, and macaroni and cheese aficionado Todd Parr, uses humor and bright illustrations to celebrate the differences that make us all unique. Most of Todd’s books are now available on the First Book Marketplace. First Book recently interviewed Todd about his inspiration for writing so many books that make... Read more

Janet Tashjian on Creating Imagination, Inspiration & Illustration with Reluctant Readers

Posted in: Author Voices

Janet Tashjian is a children’s author, an advocate for reluctant readers and strong supporter of First Book. She collaborates with her son Jake Tashjian, who creates the illustrations for her books. One of their joint efforts, “Einstein The Class Hamster” was not only released to retailers, but made available to... Read more

First Book and Mind in The Making's Ellen Galinsky: Reading Time as a Missed Opportunity for Life-Skills Learning

Posted in: Our Partners

The following is a guest blog post by Ellen Galinsky, president of the Families and Work Institute and author of ‘Mind in the Making‘. First Book and Mind in The Making have teamed up to create book lists and tip sheets that help educators and parents teach life skills during... Read more

For First Day of School, Julianne Moore Brings Books to Kids at Harlem Daycare Center

Posted in: Focus on First Book, Impact Stories

We’re huge fans of award-winning actress Julianne Moore at First Book; not only is she supremely talented on stage and screen, she’s also a children’s book author and all -around lovely person. So we were thrilled that she was able to join us yesterday at Round The Clock Nursery in... Read more

5 Inspiring Stories Of Kids Helping Kids

Posted in: Impact Stories

We can all learn something from the selfless acts of children. Check out these five stories of kids helping kids in need get new books. 1. The Best Neighbor Ever. Crestwood Intermediate School in Mantua, Ohio puts others first. The 3rd-5th graders raised over $1300 through a First Book Virtual... Read more