First Book Blog

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

First Book Appoints Four Executives to Its Board of Directors

Posted in: Press Room

Sept. 30, 2021 (WASHINGTON) – First Book, a national nonprofit social enterprise dedicated to educational equity, today announced the appointment of four executives to its board of directors. The four new board members are Chequan Lewis, vice president, operations, Pizza Hut, Plano, Texas; Manish Madhavani, partner in charge, New York... Read more

Books to Help You Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

Posted in: Our Bookshelf

September marks an important shift in the year – students are back in the classroom, the season shifts to fall, and we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. September 15 officially marks the first day of our annual celebration with the date also marks the anniversary of independence for Latin American countries.... Read more

Internet-Free Activities to Engage your Students at Home

Posted in: For Educators

Guest blog post written by Morgan Bluma, First Book Marketing and Communications Assistant. Morgan graduated from American University with a double major in Literature and Journalism. Over the years, technology has become a major tool for learning, with many children adjusting to remote learning in recent years. Boosting educational activities... Read more

Classroom Discussions: The 9/11 Aftermath for People of Color

Posted in: Author Voices

Guest blog post written by Saadia Faruqi, a Pakistani American author, essayist, and interfaith activist. She writes the children’s early reader series “Yasmin” and other books for children. It’s been 20 years since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. It’s an important event in our history books, one that we... Read more

Brave Journeys: Free Resource for Teachers and Counselors

Posted in: Our Bookshelf

Guest blog post written by Susanne Marcus, twice president of NYS TESOL. She recently retired as ENL teacher for the Great Neck Public Schools, where she continues to offer PD, and teaches in their intensive summer ENL/SIFE program. The safest place for my immigrant students to explore their emotions is in their English Language... Read more