First Book Named to The New York Times Communities Fund

Posted in: Press Room

The New York Times Communities Fund continues the legacy of “The Neediest Cases Fund” by supporting local, national and global nonprofits that provide direct support to under-resourced and over-burdened people NEW YORK (Nov. 14, 2023) — Today, The New York Times Communities Fund announced that First Book will be featured... Read more

National Coalition Announces Commitment at Clinton Global Initiative 2023 Meeting to Distribute 600,000 Diverse Children’s Books

Posted in: Press Room

Announcement on collective action comes as First Book study reveals significant academic benefits of diverse books NEW YORK (September 19, 2023) – At the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) 2023 meeting today, the Diverse Books for All Coalition presented an urgent plan designed to ensure that our increasingly diverse population of... Read more

Diverse Books for All Coalition Partners with MomsRising to Support Parent Engagement

Posted in: Press Room

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Aug. 9, 2023) – The Diverse Books for All Coalition, a national collaboration of 38 nonprofits working to tackle the lack of affordable, diverse children’s books, is partnering with MomsRising to bring the insights and perspective of parents to help shape the Coalition’s work. As part of that mandate,... Read more

Leading Education Organizations Launch Reading Universe Prototype to Help Teachers Build a Nation of Confident Readers

Posted in: Press Room

WETA, the Barksdale Reading Institute, and First Book join forces to establish a free, innovative professional development platform that provides educators with evidence-based guidance and tools for how to teach reading and writing Washington, D.C. (July 25, 2023) – WETA, the Barksdale Reading Institute, and First Book have launched a... Read more

Nine Books to Teach Kids About Body Positivity

Posted in: Our Bookshelf

This guest post was written by Audrey Vinkenes, a First Book Marketing and Communications Intern. She is currently a grad student at the University of Helsinki in Helsinki, Finland. It’s never too early to encourage children to feel positive about their bodies! According to the University of Michigan C.S. Mott... Read more

Nine Historically Accurate and Relevant Holocaust Books for High School Students

Posted in: Our Bookshelf, Our Partners

In collaboration with the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM), we have curated a diverse collection of historically accurate and relevant books for educators to utilize in their classrooms. This collection, tailored for high school students, encompasses a variety of genres, themes, topics, and reading levels to meet a range... Read more

First Book and the Guru Krupa Foundation Unite to Amplify Educational Resources in New York City and Los Angeles

Posted in: Our Partners

We are thrilled to announce the incredible news of the renewed partnership between the Guru Krupa Foundation and First Book! Thanks to the Foundation’s generous grant, First Book, a nonprofit social enterprise dedicated to ensuring equal access to quality education for children living in under resourced communities, will be able... Read more

Three Reasons to Join First Book: Insights from Our Network of Educators

Posted in: For Educators

Joey Mathis is a First Book Marketing and Communication intern. She is currently an undergrad student at Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia. According to a survey conducted by First Book in 2021, nearly 60 percent of educators spent between $100 and $500 out-of-pocket on classroom supplies. With classroom budgets often... Read more

Open eBooks: First Book’s Most Popular Digital Resource Gets an Upgrade 

Posted in: For Educators

First Book is a non-profit social enterprise that works to provide eligible educators with brand-new, high-quality books at affordable prices. As an organization, First Book truly values accessibility and adaptability. Books are an important resource, but we know many educators have limited (and sometimes zero) budget to provide physical books... Read more

Kari Kurjiaka Named Project Director for Diverse Books for All Coalition; Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators Joins the Coalition

Posted in: Press Room

WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 25, 2023) – Kari Kurjiaka has been named project director for the national Diverse Books for All Coalition. Most recently, Kurjiaka served as senior manager of literacy & external affairs for Reach Out and Read of Greater New York, a founding member of the coalition. In addition, the Society... Read more