First Book Blog

Stories of impact, the latest research, best practices, curated book lists, and more.

group of happy children in a playground, smiling and laughing

First Book Launches Black Kids Matter Campaign

Posted in: Press Room

Presenting Sponsor National Grid to Support the Distribution of 10,000 Culturally Relevant Books to Kids in Need in Communities They Serve in Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island. TD Bank to Distribute an Additional 7,000 Books in Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina. June 15, 2021 (Washington) – First Book,... Read more

student activists holding up a sign that says we need change

Books to Inspire Your Student’s Activism

Posted in: Our Bookshelf

Guest blog post written by Alpha Diallo, First Book eCommerce Operations Intern Students and young people have a long history of activism in this country, pushing for change to define our future culture. As your students learn concepts such as fairness and democracy, invite them to continue the tradition of... Read more

young girl reading in the grass during the summer

Staff Picks to Make Summer Sweeter

Posted in: Our Bookshelf

Curling up with a book in the winter is great, but is there anything better than reading in the sunshine? First Book’s Book Nerds (a.k.a. the Title Selection & Merchandising teams) love tackling their to-be-read shelves during the summer months, so each staff member has selected four books they recommend... Read more

mo willems with a classroom full of kids

Celebrating Mo and Cher Willems

Posted in: Author Voices

Every May, the First Book family celebrates the Month of Mo and all the amazing stories that Mo Willems has brought to our network educators and their students. We celebrate with giveaways, Marketplace credits for teachers to stock their bookshelves, and by rereading our favorite Elephant & Piggie adventures. As... Read more

teacher working with two female students

First Book’s Honor Roll

My mother was a high-school biology teacher for 32 years, every week was Teacher Appreciation Week in our house. To say I understood her impact on a child’s life is an understatement, but I hear of her impact often. “Oh, you’re Ms. Awad’s daughter? She was the best teacher I... Read more

two teenage kids reading next to each other in a field

Books for Baltimore: Impacting the Achievement Gap

Posted in: Impact Stories

The following is a guest blog post written by educators Loretta Holmberg and Ann Mengel, VIPTeach Global Online Teaching Fellows, First Book network educators, and leaders of the Books for Baltimore project. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of children have not been in physical classrooms with access to... Read more

tall stack of diapers

How Diapers Break Down Barriers to Education

Posted in: Impact Stories

In 1992, First Book began with a mission to provide brand-new books to children in need. Throughout the years, the mission has stayed constant, but the needs have changed and expanded. Nearly 30 years later First Book continues to build a path out of poverty through educational equity and breaking... Read more

young asian student giving a thumbs up and reading a book

Books that Celebrate the Breadth of the Asian American Experience

Posted in: Our Bookshelf

To combat anti-Asian bias and discrimination, more educators are teaching about—and celebrating—the Asian American community. To assist educators, First Book is highlighting the breadth of Asian and Asian American stories. Our Marketplace Senior Manager of Merchandising, Yukari Matsuyama, put together the following list of 14 books to help learners of... Read more

young hispanic girl reading a book

Pat Mora on Bookjoy

Posted in: Author Voices

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Children’s Day, Book Day on April 30 — the kickoff of a year-long commitment to celebrate reading! First Book is excited to celebrate with author, Pat Mora, to share bookjoy and to help motivate children to read throughout the year. We connected with... Read more

image of a classroom of kids holding up books. In the bottom left corner is text that says, 'March For What Matters. Support diverse books!' Underneath the text is a red button that says, 'I'll March for What Matters'.