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You are currently browsing the First Book Blog weblog archives for December, 2006.
Archive for December 2006
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Book Relief Along the Gulf Coast
December 20th, 2006
Kit L.
4 Comments »
Anna and I just completed a four day, 750 mile, trip along the Gulf Coast for a series of meetings and events. As our flight left National Airport last week for the 2 ½ hour trip to Louis Armstrong Airport in New Orleans we were both nervous and excited about what we would find and learn during our trip.
Day 1 – Biloxi – From the Beau Rivage to Borders
The weather report was for brief showers that would dwindle toward evening. Two hours later, on I-10 somewhere near the Mississippi/Louisiana border in the midst of torrential rains, we began to question the accuracy of the report. We arrived in Biloxi with only minutes to spare. I dropped Anna at Borders in the Edgewater Mall and headed down Highway 90 to the Beau Rivage.
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Spreading the joy of Blue
December 19th, 2006
Mary Beth F.
1 Comment »
Donovan Patton poses with a group of kids showing off their new books.
Recently, First Book joined Nickelodeon, JetBlue Airways and Candlewick Press to host a celebratory event for the children in the Head Start program at the Long Beach School for Adults to announce Long Beach at the winning community to receive 50,000 new books from the Jet Back to School with Blue campaign. Donovan Patton, “Joe” from Nick Jr.’s Blue’s Clues, and Barney Saltzberg, Candlewick Press children’s book author, were on hand to read to the children and celebrate the donation.
In addition to the distribution to the Long Beach community, Candlewick Press, which is currently celebrating its 15th anniversary, also donated 15,000 books to each of the other seven Jet Blue communities that participated in the Jet Back to School with Blue campaign. Books were distributed to literacy programs throughout Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Washington, D.C., New York City, Newark, NJ, Oakland/San Francisco, and Orlando to bring the total number of books distributed through the campaign to 155,000!
Now that’s something to celebrate! To view photos from the event, please visit First Book’s Flickr page.
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Books are…
December 18th, 2006
Katie B.
Leave a Comment »Here’s a great quote to start your week:
“Books are the carriers of tradition and the seeds of change; a source of solitary enjoyment and communal celebration; beautiful physical objects and abstract spaces for language and thought; work and pleasure; desirable and burdensome; always doomed and always thriving; cheap thrills and pricey enlightenment; worth talking about, worth fighting for, worth loving, worth sharing, worth making a life about.”
– Jessica Stockton, events coordinator at McNally Robinson Booksellers, New York CityBe sure to check out this quote as well as other quotes from authors such as Ray Bradbury, Margaret Atwood, Amy Sedaris and Lemony Snicket in a Forbes special report on books.
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Celebrating the Season
December 15th, 2006
Mary Beth F.
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Emerald City Theatre Company, Chicago’s largest professional theater devoted entirely to families, is teaming up with First Book this holiday season to help bring the magic of reading to children throughout Chicago! We are thrilled to announce that they have added two performances of their holiday production, A Nutcracker Christmas, now playing through December 31, 2006 at the Apollo Theatre.
For these two added performances — Saturday, December 16 at 4:00 pm and Saturday, December 23 at 4:00 pm — Emerald City will donate 10% of proceeds to First Book to provide new books to programs serving disadvantaged children throughout Chicago. What a wonderful way to celebrate the season!
For more information or to purchase your tickets to these special performances, please visit EmeraldCityTheatre.com.
You can also visit Emerald City Theatre’s Web site to listen to music from the show!
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Reading with First Book - Fantasy Books
December 14th, 2006
Stephanie R.
Leave a Comment »This post is part of a weekly series of synopses of children’s books, written by First Book staff members.
Dancing Dinos, by Sally Lucas, illustrated by Margeaux Lucas. While his dad takes a nap, a little boy’s imagination brings dinosaurs to life in a book he is reading. The dinosaurs dance through the house and make a mess! It’s a good thing that when Dad wakes up, the dinosaurs return to the pages of the book and all is well. Grades K-2.
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Holiday Shopping
December 14th, 2006
Diane N.
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If you’re anything like me, you woke up with a jolt this morning when you realized that:
1) Yes, it is actually December.
2) Christmas is in fact 11 days away.
3) You have yet to begin your holiday shopping.Fellow procrastinators — never fear.
No matter which holiday you celebrate, First Book has made it easy to find meaningful gifts for everyone on your list from the comfort of your own home. In our online holiday gift guide you’ll find the perfect PJs, t-shirts, handbags and bedtime reading from our corporate partners. What’s more: your purchases will benefit First Book, so that you’re bringing thoughtful presents to your loved ones AND helping to place beautiful new books into the hands of the children who need them most.
And for those special friends who already have everything? Make a tax-deductible donation in their name and let them know with one of our beautiful new downloadable cards that can be printed right off your home computer. Featuring First Book recipient children with brand new books in hand, the cards perfectly capture the tangible joy your donation has made possible.
So skip the frenzy this year and shop First Book to make life a little easier for you and a lot more magical for children in need.
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A New World Record!
December 13th, 2006
Dave M.
Leave a Comment »I received an email from a friend the other day:
Hi First Bookies! (Or do you prefer First Bookers?)
I have a slightly random favor to ask of whoever among you most loves Charlotte’s Web and the Guinness Book of World Records….
A few emails and a couple of days later, a few other First Bookies (First Bookers?) and I were on our way into the record books. The new Charlotte’s Web movie organized a huge, multi-national reading event, including over 500,000 individuals. The record? Most people reading the same passage aloud at the same time.
Those of us who were able to volunteer (there’s a cold that’s been going around the office) were being recruited as “Independent Witnesses.” Two per school, we dispersed out through the city to participating schools. My coworker Elena and I headed out to Ross Elementary near Dupont Circle.
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First Book and Nash Finch at the Minnesota Children’s Museum
December 13th, 2006
Stephanie R.
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Award-winning children’s author John Coy reads to children from Twin City schools.
Recently, First Book joined the Nash Finch Company in an exciting event at the Minnesota Children’s Museum in St. Paul, Minnesota to celebrate the launch of our new partnership.
Nash Finch is a Fortune 500 company based out of Minneapolis and is one of the leading food distribution companies in the United States. Through their new educational program, Feeding Imagination, they are funding the distribution of 10,000 books from the First Book Marketplace to kids in need in the Twin Cities.
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First Book on Television
December 12th, 2006
Beth B.
Leave a Comment »Last month, a video crew from German television station Deutsche Welle came by First Book’s office to film a profile of First Book as part of their series about the Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneurs. It aired on the Deutsche Welle program Made in Germany and you can view it on their website (it’s in English). You will need Real Player to view the video.
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Heroes Against Hate
December 11th, 2006
Lynda L.
2 Comments »
First Book’s Kyle Zimmer and Lynda Lancaster (second and third from left) pose with Ruby Bridges’ husband Malcolm Hall and their son Sean.
Recently, our very own Ruby Bridges (First Book’s spokesperson for Book Relief) was one of four honorees and recipients of the Ina Kay Award at the 12th annual Anti-Defamation League’s Concert Against Hate that was held at the Kennedy Center here in Washington, DC.
A few of us from First Book were there as Ruby’s guests.
In 1960, when Ruby Bridges was six years old, she became the first black child to integrate New Orleans’ all white public school system. Her walk to the front door of William Frantz Elementary School, which was immortalized in Norman Rockwell’s painting, The Problem We All Live With. All of the white teachers — except Mrs. Barbara Henry — refused to teach her. Ruby Bridges has dedicated much of her adult life to fighting bigotry and intolerance. Mrs. Barbara Henry joined her former student and close friend as she was honored.
