New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo Launches New York Women’s Vote Centennial Project With American Federation of Teachers and First Book

Posted in: Our Partners, Press Room

Partnership will provide 15 educators from across the New York state with resources to implement a project celebrating 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in New York ALBANY (September 17, 2017) — Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul today launched the New York Women’s Vote Centennial Project, a... Read more

First Book turns 25!

Posted in: Focus on First Book

First Book is celebrating 25 years of bringing books and resources to kids in need! From a simple effort that began in 1992 with a handful of books and some spare time, we have grown into a social enterprise that has distributed more than 160 million books in nearly 30... Read more

Welcoming We Give Books to the First Book Family

Posted in: Focus on First Book

Our New Partner: We Give Books We can’t keep it a secret any longer! As of today, We Give Books has a new home at First Book. The online platform, which features nearly 300 digitally-optimized children’s books, enables anyone with access to the Internet to put books in the hands of... Read more

187 Reasons Why a Teacher Needs Books

Posted in: For Educators, Impact Stories

Today’s guest blogger, Sarah Kilway, wrote to us after receiving hundreds of new books for her students. We couldn’t resist sharing her story with you. I teach 187 kids at Ben Davis Ninth Grade Center in Indianapolis, IN. The majority of my students live in poverty. Most have only one... Read more

Who Can Sign Up with First Book?

Posted in: For Educators

When the school year ends, so do many support systems kids in need rely on. Thankfully there are thousands of organizations working across the country to help kids in need during the summer months. First Book is here to support all of them. We don’t just work with teachers; anyone... Read more

A Market-Driven Solution to the Need for Diverse Books

Posted in: Focus on First Book

Last week, hundreds of thousands of parents, educators and readers of all ages issued a call for more diversity in children’s literature, rallying under the banner of #WeNeedDiverseBooks. The campaign spread quickly from Twitter to media outlets around the world as people shared powerful stories about the need for all... Read more

Books in Every Language for Every Child

Posted in: For Educators, Our Bookshelf

Today’s guest blog post is from Dr. Mandy Stewart, an assistant professor of bilingual education at Texas Woman’s University. Follow her on Twitter at @DrMandyStewart. How many books have you read in your lifetime?  How many picture books did an adult read aloud to you while growing up? Most of... Read more

The Collective Power of a Nation of Readers

Posted in: Focus on First Book

This piece also appears on The Huffington Post’s Impact blog. Steve White, a volunteer at a local nonprofit, worked through the holidays to ensure that 3,000 kids in need in Denver would have brand-new books of their own at Christmas. Elisa Mayo, the finance coordinator for a school district in... Read more

496 Million Women

Posted in: Focus on First Book, Impact Stories

496 million. That’s how many women in the world can’t read or write even the most simple sentence. Many women never have the opportunity to reach 6th grade, and some don’t get to go to school at all. Today, we join citizens around the world in celebrating International Women’s Day,... Read more