Five children stand facing the camera, smiling and each holding a book up.
A headshot of Kyle Zimmer, the President, CEO, and Co-Founder of First Book with a quote: “We want every single child to have the benefit of a high-quality education, regardless of their zip code – and we want every educator to have the resources they need to make that happen.”

From Our CEO

Dear Friends:

2022-23 marked a dramatic call to action for the nation and the world: to respond to the catastrophic impact of the pandemic on our children, and the educators and other caring adults who support them. 

The impact has been especially devastating for the children First Book serves – the millions of children ages 0-18 growing up in historically under-resourced, low-income communities.

Read Kyle’s full letter.

By the Numbers

January 2022 – December 2023

11,600,000
Children served
225,000,000
Books and resources distributed since First Book’s founding
584,000+
First Book members as of Dec. 31, 2023
62,000+
New members joined the First Book Network
25,494,093
Books and resources distributed through the First Book Marketplace
66
Number of research studies conducted by First Book Research & Insights
32+
Number of First Book Accelerator resources launched (Video and print-on-demand)
A little boy with dark hair and a green checkered, hooded shirt sits squatting on the floor next to a pile of books, reading one that is open in front of him.

Close Up: First Book’s Stories for All Project™

The Stories for All Project™ is First Book’s ongoing initiative to elevate books with stories and characters where children can see themselves and learn about others. The collection includes nearly 6,200 titles, each handpicked by First Book’s professional curation team for its impact, authenticity, and ability to engage readers.

87-88%
of all purchases by First Book members included at least one diverse book.
54-56%
More than half of the total books members purchased from First Book were diverse.

Our Model of Change

Education feeds children’s innate desire to learn. Through First Book’s educator-driven model, we’re furthering educational equity for children of all ages who are growing up in underserved communities. 

Learn more.

A green circle with the word "Network" in the center is wrapped by the words "Marketplace", "Accelerator", and "Research & Insights" in a circular manner. Surrounding these words also in a circular formation are "Providing Affordable Resources", "Advancing the Field", and "Identifying and Meeting Needs".
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The Power of Partnership

Thanks to the support of our corporate and nonprofit partners, First Book has been able to create innovative new resources and increase access to high-quality, diverse books that remove barriers to learning.

“First Book has provided all of my students with so many literacy opportunities that they wouldn’t have otherwise had access to!”

Claire R., First Book member
A little girl dressed in a pink puffy coat and a hat with a face of a penguin reaches for a book amongst a pile of others. Behind her is her mother and next to her is another woman looking at other books.

Fueling Greater Impact Together

In 2024, First Book is expanding our groundbreaking work. We’re reaching out to connect more educators and adults supporting children in underserved communities with First Book resources, exploring opportunities for collaboration, piloting the use of AI, amplifying the voice of educators and adults through timely research, and providing much needed support to under-resourced communities. We invite you to help!

Graphic featuring The Pigeon by Mo Willems with text that says, 'Mo & Cher Willems want to double your gift! Give the joy of reading to TWICE as many kids in underserved communities when your gift is matched by the Mo and Cher Willems Foundation, up to $75,000. DON’T miss your chance to make your gift go twice as far!' with a button that says 'Donate now'.