Yesterday was Shakespeare’s birthday — at least most biographers believe he was born on April 23, 1564. Others believe it was a day earlier. Regardless, we want to wish old William well on his 443rd!
Here in Washington, DC, we are right in the middle of Shakespeare in Washington, a six-month tribute to the Bard. This […]

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Recently I attended the annual Environmental Film Festival, here in Washington, DC. Among the films shown at the festival (most of them free) was “The Silent Spring of Rachel Carson,” a TV special from 1963 that took a look at the issues raised by Carson’s book Silent Spring, published the previous year.
In this book — […]

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Sunday, April 22 - Tonya and I have arrived safely into Spokane, WA, after stops in the Twin Cities and Seattle. I always forget how big America is until I have to traverse it! As tedious as hours on a plane can be, the breathtaking view of Mount Rainier through the cloud cover […]

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Starting this Sunday, my colleague Tonya and I will be on an outreach trip throughout the state of Idaho. We will be meeting with Advisory Boards, visiting Recipient Groups, and presenting at a Library Conference.
The itinerary is an action-packed 7-day journey from northwest to southeast Idaho, and promises to be full of […]

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Joyce Sobel, the Board Chair of First Book-San Juan County submitted this story to the blog about the 50th birthday party the board threw for the Cat in the Hat in conjunction with other local partners.
“On Sunday, March 25th, The Cat in the Hat celebrated his 50th birthday party at the San Juan Island Family […]

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This post is part of a weekly series of synopses of children’s books, written by First Book staff members.
Big Frank’s Fire Truck, by Leslie McGuire, illustrated by Joe Mathieu. Spend the day with Frank the firefighter as he goes to the station, responds to a traffic accident, inspects the sprinklers at a supermarket, teaches fire […]

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Guest blogger Mindy Klasky is the author of six fantasy novels, including the award-winning, best-selling The Glasswrights’ Apprentice and numerous short stories. Her latest novel, Girl’s Guide to Witchcraft, is a lighthearted, fictional tale featuring a love-struck D.C. librarian who discovers she’s a witch. A portion of proceeds from the sale of Girl’s Guide […]

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A few weeks ago my colleague Heather J. and I were visiting some of the many heroes that volunteer with our First Book Advisory Boards in Pennsylvania. Little did we know, as we sat down to meet with the newly formed First Book-Greater Harrisburg Advisory Board, that we were going to me a real […]

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First Book-Greater Cincinnati was recently mentioned in the Cincinnati Enqirer’s LitChick Blog.
In her blog post, writer Sara Pierce also reminded everyone that they only have until May 1 to send a birthday eCard to the Cat in the Hat. Random House will send one book to First Book for every card it receives — up […]

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The dictionary defines “volunteer” as a person who performs a service willingly and without pay; or to offer oneself for some service or undertaking.
With all due respect to the lexicographers of the world, these definitions hardly suffice. As the Senior Vice President responsible for First Book’s community development and Advisory Board strategy I […]

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