First Book Blog - Education News & Stories

First Book Calls on Its Community of Educators to Promote Respect and Empathy

Posted in: Focus on First Book, For Educators

A lack of respect and empathy increases the possibility for disputes to occur, challenging a child’s ability to step into the shoes of another person and experience the world through that perspective. At First Book, we recognize educators require support to eliminate educational barriers like these that prevent kids fr...

Creative Ways to Use Plush Toys in the Classroom

Posted in: Our Bookshelf

Plush Toys are much more than cute classroom decorations. They can be powerful tools for creating spaces where kids are excited and motivated to read and learn! The First Book Marketplace is home to a large selection of educational resources available at affordable prices to the members of our Network. We strive to add...

I Do, We Do, You Do: Hands-on Math Resources for You and Your Students

Posted in: Focus on First Book

If you're an educator, “I Do, We Do, You Do” may already be a strategy implemented in your classroom. For those who might not be as familiar, this is the basic concept of this teaching strategy: “I Do”: Educator explains the concept and demonstrates the skill. “We Do”: Educator and the class practice together. “You Do”...

Six Reasons to Join First Book's Book Club

Posted in: Focus on First Book

This post is written by guest blogger, Christa Evans, VP of Development at First Book. “Between the pages of a book is a wonderful place to be.” - Anonymous We admit it – here at First Book, we’re book fanatics! We also believe every child deserves a quality education, filled with the tools and resources they need to l...

First Book Inspires a Love for STEM with Ford Motor Company Fund and 4-H Clubs

Posted in: Our Partners

We at First Book have aimed to provide the educators and students we serve with the tools and resources they need to teach and learn STEM concepts. Earlier this month, we launched STEMtober – a month-long celebration of all things science, technology, engineering, and math – to better highlight new helpful resources to...

What Educators Want to Ask Presidential Candidates

Posted in: Focus on First Book

As the presidential debates begin to heat up, we asked educators what they would ask the presidential candidates. Here’s what’s on their minds: Their kids are coming to school hungry. "How will you help end, this year, food scarcity…specifically, food for kids during the summer when they cannot access free meals at the...

The 2019 Estela & Raúl Mora Award Winner and Honorees

Posted in: Focus on First Book

In honor of her parents, The Estela and Raúl Mora Award was established in 2000 by renowned author and poet Pat Mora. The award honors libraries and programs that celebrate Children’s Day, Book Day, El día de los niños, El día de los libros (also known as Día ) , a family literacy initiative that focuses on the promoti...

First Book Launches STEMtober to Highlight New Educational STEM Resources

Posted in: Focus on First Book

When you hear the name, “First Book ,” STEM resources like coding robots might not be the first (or second) thing you think of. The First Book community of educators know us mostly for our collection of high quality, new, free or low-cost books. But because we aim to provide the educators and children we serve with eve...

Building Inclusive Classrooms with YASMIN en Español

Posted in: Author Voices, Our Bookshelf

Today’s blog post is written by guest blogger Saadia Faruqi, author of the YASMIN series of early reader titles. As a Pakistani American immigrant with a love of English literature, I’ve always found translations of stories a fascinating subject. I remember as a child watching a Pakistani movie dubbed into English, and...

First Book Staff Recommends: Books That Changed Us for the Better

Posted in: Our Bookshelf

Every month, First Book's team of children's & young adult literature experts on staff (or as they like to call themselves, THE BOOK NERDS) choose their favorite titles from the Marketplace. This month's theme is Books that Changed Us for the Better . These titles mean a lot to the team, and we're sure they will resona...