First Book Blog

Why The Nonprofit Sector Can No Longer Dance Around Infrastructure Challenges

Posted in: Thought Leadership

Guest post written by Kyle Zimmer, President, CEO & Co-founder of First Book. Kyle is a member of the Forbes Nonprofit Council. This article was originally published on Forbes. Nonprofits are tackling humanity’s most complex problems — but without the fundamental infrastructure afforded our private sector counterparts. There is an old saying... Read more

Making Tamales with Author, Jennifer Torres

Posted in: Author Voices

Guest blog post written by Jennifer Torres, an award-winning author who writes stories about home, friendship, and unexpected courage inspired by her Mexican-American heritage. One of my favorite parts of the school and library presentations I get to give comes when I click on a slide showing a big bowl of... Read more

Actor, Comedian, And Author Kevin Hart to Visit Hometown For a Major Virtual Event With Philadelphia School District For Debut Children’s Book MARCUS MAKES A MOVIE

Posted in: Press Room

On Thursday, December 16, a virtual conversation between Kevin Hart and six students from his alma mater elementary school will stream to the entire Philadelphia School District.  Random House, First Book to donate over 1,000 copies of Marcus Makes a Movie to Philadelphia schools.  New York, NY (December 15, 2021)—In partnership with First Book and the School... Read more

AFT Launches Multiyear, Multimillion-Dollar ‘Reading Opens the World’ Campaign to Spark the Love of Reading

Posted in: Press Room

Multiyear literacy campaign aims to enhance reading instruction; engage parents, families, and communities; and distribute 1 million books to kids across the country WASHINGTON, D.C. — This holiday season, the American Federation of Teachers is launching a multiyear literacy campaign called “Reading Opens the World,” designed to support students, educators,... Read more

Our Favorite Family Engagement Resources

Posted in: Focus on First Book, Our Partners

Throughout the last two years, families have learned first-hand what it takes to keep a child engaged in reading and education. Some of the challenges faced are new, and specific to the current state of affairs; other challenges, while perhaps not new are now compounded in an already tough learning... Read more

3rd Annual Give a Million Holiday Fundraising Campaign

Posted in: Press Room

National nonprofit raising $1 million in donations to provide 1 million books to kids in need for the holidays. November 15, 2021 (Washington, D.C.) – Today, First Book, the largest online community of educators serving kids in poverty, announced the launch of its annual holiday giving campaign to raise $1... Read more

Celebrating the Written Word with Ruth Chan

Posted in: Author Voices

Ruth Chan is the author and illustrator of many books for young children, several of which are featured on First Book’s Marketplace. We sat down to chat with Ruth, a First Book favorite author, to learn more about what inspires her characters, how she develops ideas, and what message of... Read more

We’re Still Here: Books to Celebrate Native American Heritage Month

Posted in: Our Bookshelf

Author Traci Sorrell inspired the theme of this book list to help educators, families, and children celebrate Native American Heritage Month. Her books, We Are Still Here! Native American Truths Everyone Should Know and We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga, remind us that Native American history is not a finished chapter. The... Read more

Bring Math to Life with Books

Posted in: Our Partners

To help educators spark a love for math, First Book is thrilled to continue our partnership with the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI). Each year we feature Mathical Book Prize award-winning titles, recognized for inspiring ages 2-18 to connect with and enjoy math in the everyday world, on the Marketplace.... Read more

Increasing Human-Centered Design In The Social Sector

Posted in: Thought Leadership

Guest post written by Kyle Zimmer, President, CEO & Co-founder of First Book. Kyle is a member of the Forbes Nonprofit Council. This article was originally published on Forbes. While billions of dollars are spent on consumer insights to ensure that our potato chips are crispy, powerful data to fuel human-centered design... Read more