First Book Blog

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

view of earth in space

How to Celebrate Earth Day with First Book

Posted in: For Educators

For many of us, Earth Day reminds of our childhood lessons to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and perhaps recalls memories of school-wide competitions, for which homeroom could bring in the most recycled items. Pizza parties for the win! But now, Earth Day is and can be so much more, with many... Read more

audemars piguet marvel watch

Audemars Piguet Pays Tribute to Marvel’s Inspirational Heroes

Posted in: Press Room

2021 marks the dawn of a new era and the start of a collaboration between Swiss Haute Horlogerie manufacturer Audemars Piguet and Marvel, one of the most prominent character-based entertainment companies. Inspired by historical character watches, including some of Gérald Genta’s timepieces from the 1980s, Audemars Piguet wanted to pay... Read more

15 Novels in Verse to Celebrate Poetry Month

Posted in: Our Bookshelf

Guest post written by Lori Prince, Director of Merchandising at First Book Before my years at First Book, I was a poet. The poetry I knew as a child was the poetry of songs — folk music at home, hymns at church, show tunes in choir — so the idea... Read more

graphic with text that says: "Double Your Impact to Help Give a Million Books! Help give a million books to kids in low-income communities this holiday season and beyond. The book you send may be the only holiday gift a child gets, and helping a child love books makes a lasting difference. Give by December 31 to double your impact through a Matching Challenge Fund from our generous friends at Pizza Hut — twice as many books with a single gift!" There is a red donation button in the lower right corner. On the left side of the graphic is an image of a young girl holding up a book and smiling.