First Book and Build-A-Bear Foundation

Sharing the Joy of Reading

Empowering Young Readers Through Books and Bears

First Book and Build-A-Bear Foundation share a united mission to empower children and families to achieve brighter futures. Through this partnership, First Book provides support to our Network of educators with books and teddy bears, ensuring children have the tools they need to nurture a lifelong love of learning.

Our Vision

In 2023, we set out with Build-A-Bear on an ambitious goal: to provide 1 million books and 100,000 reading buddy teddy bears to children in underserved communities by 2027. These reading buddies, paired with books, offer children a unique and meaningful way to spark a love of reading and learning. Guests at Build-A-Bear Workshop contribute to this mission through the purchase of Read Teddy and donations at checkout, supporting First Book’s efforts to reach more children in underserved communities.

Learn More

Our Impact

460,000+

Books Distributed

37,000+

Bears Distributed

1 Million

Children Reached

32,000+

Educators Reached

We are honored to be working with First Book in support of their critical mission. We are inspired by their commitment to supporting children and building opportunities. We have a great history of partnership with First Book and are thrilled to renew this friendship to deliver books to children around the country.
Roz Johnson, President, Build-A-Bear Foundation Board

The students get a chance to find books that are interesting to them, they have appropriate access points for them, and then they get a little friend to read to. So it’s really a wonderful cause for students to just start to or continue their love of learning and reading.
Erica, First Book Member

I love working with First Book because they help kids foster a love of reading that’s lifelong and introduces kids to books who might not normally get a chance to have them.
Laurie Weissman, Chief Workshop Manager, Build-A-Bear