Imagine not owning a book. Think about what you’d do if you couldn’t afford school supplies. How would it affect your life? Your children’s lives? Sean Bellamy is a third-grade teacher in Washington, D.C. Sadly, this is a reality for many Americans. In fact, 61% of… Read More

Recently, the First Book Marketplace launched product reviews. Not only do these reviews help fellow members of the First Book community of educators decide what products will help them most, they also help our staff understand how our community members are using the products we provide,… Read More

Guest post by Camila Rios, First Book intern Spanish-language books are a versatile and valuable resource. Use them with Spanish speakers, Spanish learners, bilingual students, and English language learners in any setting where you’re working with kids and families. Use Spanish-Language Books To… Foster Strong Bilingual Skills Research shows that students who… Read More

It’s the Dog Days of Summer, and the weather’s too hot even for our pets to enjoy time outside! So, we’re staying indoors with our furry friends and their favorite books. We asked the First Book community & staff to show us what their favorite furry companions are… Read More

This blog was originally posted on July 25th, 2014. It has been updated with new outbound links. All summer long, you’ve heard how summer slide – the learning loss that occurs when kids are out of school – adds… Read More

“I think young people have something to say, and I think that they do the best they can to say it and  sometimes the language isn’t there, but we as adults have an obligation and a responsibility to hear the things that aren’t being said–and to help them carve the… Read More

This blog was originally posted July 1, 2014. It has been updated with new outbound links. Guest blogger Tina Chovanec is the director of Reading Rockets: the authoritative online source for comprehensive and accessible information about teaching young children to read and helping those… Read More

A teacher and students in Stewart County, Georgia, pose with their new books. Thanks to a $15,000 grant from Newman’s Own Foundation, the independent foundation created by the late actor and philanthropist, Paul Newman, First Book gave children in rural Georgia more than 3,000 books. The award was made by… Read More

This blog was originally posted on June 20, 2014. It has been updated with new outbound links. Today’s guest blog post is by Libby Martinez, co-author of the children’s book I Pledge Allegiance, on teaching kids to be proud of the place they were born while being a proud American. Read More

Reading for pleasure is fun and relaxing, but it also has benefits that go far beyond the academic. Children who read for fun not only improve at reading, they get better in all subjects. Reading for pleasure also increases empathy and social skills. Plus,… Read More