Posts in category Book Recipients

How First Book Helped Save the MLK Day Parade

Jun07
2012 Brian Minter Written by Brian Minter

Because of First Book, over 4,000 students are happy that they know about Dr. Martin L. King Jr., his legacy and love of literature. In the words of Dr. King, thank you for seeking happiness for others. Your continued support and inspiration for the MLK Parade of Book Project made the difference in the Pensacola community.
– Pastor Charles Morris, Bethel Youth Development

'Martin's Big Words' on the First Book MarketplaceWe got a call not long ago from Bethel Youth Development, a nonprofit that works with kids from low-income families in Pensacola, Fla. Every year, they host an parade of books on MLK Day in honor of Dr. Martin L. King Jr., and they needed 2,000 copies of ‘Martin’s Big Words’, a picture book that tells Dr. King’s story in his own words, as well as 1,000 copies of a second book, ‘Thank You, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’.

Award-winning books for young readers and some dedicated local educators working hard to get the resources they needed for their kids? Music to our ears! That’s exactly the kind of problem First Book was created to solve.

There was one difficulty. We didn’t actually HAVE those two books.

But every problem is an opportunity in disguise, as they say, so we contacted our friends at Random House, the publishers of both books, and because we were able to ask for so many copies of the books, they agreed to offer us both titles for the First Book Marketplace, our website where educators who work with kids in need can get high-quality, award-winning titles at a fraction of the normal retail cost.

Bethel Youth Development and their new books from First BookSo Bethel Youth Development was able to get the books they needed in time for the parade, and continue their amazing work with kids in Pensacola.

At retail price, the books would have cost over $32,000. But by working with First Book, Bethel Youth Development was able to get all 3,000 books for $8,150. (Sometime people question the value of giving new books to kids in need, asking why used books and local donations won’t do the job. But, as we have learned, not only are these channels typically insufficient to meet the needs of large programs like this one, there is an enormous value in providing something new to children who often have never owned a book of their very own.)

In addition to helping Bethel Youth Development in their important work, this was also a win for Random House, as they were able to reach these new readers with their books — readers whose families could likely not have afforded the books at retail prices.

We love stories like this.

Posted in Books & Reading, First Book Partners, Marketplace - Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

New Books! First Book Joins Forces With Cincinnati Teachers

May25
2012 Brian Minter Written by Brian Minter

“We’re taking a stand with our friends at the American Federation of Teachers to make sure kids in Cincinnati get the help they need — from all of us — to succeed. More than anyone, teachers understand the transformative power of books. By working together with teachers, First Book is ensuring that Cincinnati’s kids have new books of their own.”
– Kyle Zimmer, First Book’s president

First Book is teaming up with local teachers to bring new books to kids in Cincinnati public schools for their summer reading program. Every one of the 3,000 kids in the program will get three brand-new books of their very own throughout the summer.

First Book president Kyle Zimmer at Ethel M. Taylor Academy in Cincinnati, photo by Bruce CrippenWe kicked things off yesterday at Ethel M. Taylor Academy in Cincinnati with a great event featuring teachers, kids and children’s authors – all our favorite people.

This new partnership is just one of many new programs springing up around the country, thanks to a new partnership between First Book and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). We’re excited to be working with the AFT; they represent hundreds of thousands of teachers, librarians, school support staff and early childhood educators around the country. Exactly the sort of people that First Book wants to connect with, so we can help them get a steady supply of new books into their programs and classrooms.

The Cincinnati program was made possible thanks to support from United Way of Greater Cincinnati. You can read more about it here.

Posted in Book Distributions, First Book Partners, Kyle Zimmer, Teachers - Tagged , , , , , , , ,

One Million Books in Just Ten Days: Seattle!

Apr18
2012 Brian Minter Written by Brian Minter

One Million Books in Just Ten DaysFirst Book staff and volunteers are lining ‘em up and knocking ‘em down this week as we work to distribute over one million brand-new books to schools and programs serving kids in need across the country.

There are 350,000 new books in the Seattle warehouse, donated by our friends at Random House, Disney Publishing Worldwide and Townsend Press. About 100,000 of those books will be picked up by local teachers and nonprofit leaders, while the rest will be shipped out to similar programs across the country.

“I got the chance yesterday to work alongside Weedy, who helps run an after-school program in LaHood, Wash. that serves 350 children, mostly from low-income families. She was so excited to get books for her students that she was coming to the warehouse twice — once to pick up books for her kids and once just to volunteer!” — Kim, First Book staffer

First Book doesn’t have a warehouse of our own, so when publishers donate huge quantities of new books, we rely on other nonprofits and generous companies to loan us warehouse space. This week we’re working with our friends at World Vision, a Christian humanitarian organization that provides food, clothing, medicine and other desperately-needed resources to children and families around the world.

One Million Books in Just Ten Days: First Book in SeattleWe’ve worked with World Vision in the past; they’re amazing people who do a tremendous amount of good, and we’re grateful for their support.

World Vision also helped round up volunteers from the community, who are helping us move pallets, sort out shipping labels and load boxes of new books into teachers’ cars and vans. We’ve got a great bunch of volunteers out there; everyone has been friendly and full of energy and lots of kids in need will have new books next week, thanks to their efforts.

Outstanding work, Seattle!

Tune in tomorrow, when we’ll check in with another group of First Book staff and volunteers in Minneapolis.

Want to learn more? Click here to sign up for our newsletter and we’ll send you photos, video and some more ways you can get involved.

Posted in Book Distributions, First Book Partners, National Book Bank, Volunteers - Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Kids Are Eager to Read: Just Add Books

Mar05
2012 Brian Minter Written by Brian Minter

First Book was part of all kinds of great events across the country for Read Across America Day on Friday, including a tremendous partnership in the city of Newark. Working with some great local nonprofits, we were able to provide almost 17,000 brand-new books — including plenty of Dr. Seuss titles, since Read Across America Day is Dr. Seuss’s birthday — to students at eight Title I public schools in Newark.

First Book visits a school in Newark for Read Across America DayWe got to meet lots of amazing kids at Belmont-Runyon Elementary, along with some of the educators and public servants that do so much and put so much of themselves into their work.

“I’m just so happy that our kids in Newark are getting thousands of books,” said Mayor Cory Booker. “Not put in libraries or in schools, but actually put in their hands for them to own.”

As always, the best part was seeing the looks on the children’s faces when they were given new books of their own to keep. You might think it was just the excitement any child feels when they’re being given shiny new things, but almost every one of those kids sat down to open their new Dr. Seuss books and start reading them — right there on the floor.

Most kids from low-income families have no books of their own at home. A new book is more than just a novelty for kids like the ones at Belmont-Runyon Elementary; it’s a rare treasure. To see how eager they are to read, you only need to hand them a book.

First Book brings new books to Newark kids“The kids love getting these books, they’re really excited about it,” said Lois Myers, librarian at Belmont-Runyon Elementary. “They say ‘We get to keep these books!?’”

First Book doesn’t haul a truckload of books up and dump them on the doorstep. We work carefully with local partners to ensure that the books are part of an ongoing effort to transform children’s lives and elevate the quality of their education.

  • The educators at the Newark schools selected quality titles that they knew their kids would respond to.
  • Community groups like New Jersey After 3 and the Foundation for Newark’s Future brought in authors to read to the children and coordinated a school-wide assembly to celebrate books and reading.
  • Anne Feeley, a generous donor (and Newark native) provided funding to help make everything possible through the Foundation for Newark’s Future’s “My Very Own Library” initiative.
  • Local leaders like Mayor Booker made time to spend the day with the children, to entertain them and to let them know they were important.
  • Volunteers and parents decorated the auditorium with a Dr. Seuss theme that would have put professional set designers to shame.

We were proud to be a part of an event like this, and happy to bring the books.

Just like we’d be proud to work with people and organizations anywhere who care about improving the lives of the most vulnerable children in their community. When we all work together, we make big things happen.

If you’d like to support First Book’s work, volunteer in your community, or sign up your Title I school or local nonprofit to get new books, we’d love to hear from you.

Posted in Authors & Illustrators, Book Distributions, First Book Events, First Book Partners, Volunteers - Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Creating Success Stories for 20 Years

Feb21
2012 Kyle Zimmer Written by Kyle Zimmer

Twenty years ago I was volunteering every week at a soup kitchen in Washington, D.C., where I met the most amazing children and families. As I got to know them, I saw how much they had to struggle, but I also saw how bright they were and how motivated they were to succeed.

I also learned that most of them didn’t have a single book to call their own, and that broke my heart.

First Book has been creating success stories for 20 yearsSo, along with two good friends, I started First Book, to make sure those kids, and kids like them all across the country, would have brand-new books of their own, and to make sure that the teachers and program leaders working with these children every day would have the books and resources they need to do their jobs.

Twenty years later, First Book has distributed over 90 million books to kids in need, we work with a national network of over 25,000 schools and programs and we have local volunteers raising money in over 150 cities. Volunteers, corporate partners and publishers, working hand-in-hand with teachers, librarians and local nonprofit leaders … it humbles and amazes me how much we’ve been able to accomplish together, and how many lives we’ve been able to change for the better.

But we’ve only just scratched the surface. There are 30 million children living in low-income households in the United States, and we’re only reaching a fraction of them. They’re waiting for us, and they can’t wait any longer.

First Book's Big Plans for 2012So we’ve got some big plans to celebrate our 20th anniversary. Before this year is over, we’re going to distribute another 10 million new books, recruit local volunteers in 30 additional cities, and double the number of schools and programs that are connected to First Book’s resources, from 25,000 to 50,000.

We’ve come so far together, and have made so much progress, but there’s more to be done. Join us!

  • Donate: Every $2.50 pays for a brand-new, high-quality book for a child in need.
  • Volunteer: Work with other members of your community to get books to local schools and programs.
  • Spread the word: If you know a teacher, librarian or volunteer who works with kids from low-income families, in any kind of program, help get them signed up with First Book. We’ve got books for them!

 

Posted in Advisory Boards, Books & Reading, Social Entrepreneurship, Teachers, Volunteers - Tagged , , ,

Happy Friendiversary! Mo Willems and First Book Join Forces to Bring New Books to New Orleans Kids

Feb07
2012 Brian Minter Written by Brian Minter

Happy Friendiversary! From your friends at First Book

Today is Friendiversary, when we celebrate the anniversary of our friendships. Think of one of your oldest and dearest friends. When did you first meet? How did you meet? That story is the story of your Friendiversary.

First Book is celebrating Friendiversary this week by providing 7,000 new Elephant & Piggie books to second-graders at Title I schools in Louisiana and Massachusetts. The Elephant & Piggie series is written and illustrated by our friend Mo Willems, whose support makes it possible for First Book able to provide these books. Every book includes a special Friendiversary note from Mo, and his publisher, Disney Publishing Worldwide, is also providing activity kits, stickers and posters free of charge to each classroom.

In fact, we’re so delighted with the Friendiversary kit that we also made it available to all the schools and programs in First Book’s national network.

There are Friendiversary parties happening in classrooms and programs all over today … or tomorrow, or last weekend. We’re pretty flexible on when you actually celebrate Friendiversary.

A Friendiversary party at James Singleton Charter School in New OrleansThe biggest party we’ve heard about so far took place in New Orleans, at James Singleton Charter School. (Mo grew up in New Orleans, and has a special place in his heart for New Orleans kids, so making sure they all had copies of his books was important to him.)

Lynetta Rhodes, the chair of the local First Book volunteer group in New Orleans, organized the party. “I love to see the community come together for our children,” she said. “You should have seen their faces light up when they saw Elephant and Piggie!”

Lynetta sent us some great pictures, and filled us in on all the details:

  • Every student got two copies of Mo’s books to keep, including There’s a Bird On Your Head, Are You Ready to Play Outside?, Today I Will Fly and Should I Share My Ice Cream?. (“I can’t believe I got two books!” one of the students told Lynetta).
  • There were all kinds of local celebrity guests on hand to read with the kids, including New Orleans city councilmember Susan Guidry, children’s author Robin Washington, Louisiana State Rep. Wesley Bishop and TV reporter Rosa Flores.
  • There was plenty of ice cream.

A Friendiversary party at James Singleton Charter School in New Orleans“The children looked adorable in their ‘Elephant and Piggie’ ears and the costumed characters made the kids shout with glee,” said local author Dianne de Las Casas, the MC for the event. “Friendiversary at James Singleton Charter School was a great success.”

Happy Friendiversary, everyone!

If you work with kids from low-income families, you can be a part of Friendiversary and other great events and opportunities throughout the year. Sign up with First Book to find out how we can help you get new books for your kids.

Posted in Advisory Boards, Authors & Illustrators, Books & Reading, First Book Events, Volunteers - Tagged , , , , , , ,

Book of the Month: Barefoot World Atlas

Feb06
2012 Brian Minter Written by Brian Minter

Our book of the month on the First Book Marketplace is the Barefoot World Atlas, which looks at all the ways that different cultures and communities across the world have been shaped by their environment.

First Book's Book of the Month: Barefoot World Atlas“Two years ago, our girls participated in thematic unit on water where they learned about the scarcity of clean water around the world. Our case study was the girls of Sierra Leone who are often unable to attend school because of their responsibility to bare water for their family — not to mention the very dangerous paths they walk to get it.”

“Our girls were so blown away they actually raised enough money to build two wells in Sierra Leone. The wells are close to school so girls may get water on their way home and walk together, hopefully decreasing the incidents of violence against them.”

“This beautiful book illustrates many of the issues we discuss at our center. It empowers our girls of every age and from every demographic to empathize with others regardless of geography or background.”

– Marisa Monroe, the director of program operations at Girls Inc., a program that works with girls in Sarasota, Fla., and a member of the First Book network

The First Book Marketplace is a website available exclusively to schools and programs serving kids in need. If you’re a teacher or program leader, sign up with First Book to get quality books like the Barefoot World Atlas for your kids at prices your program can afford.

First Book is able to offer this exclusive, low-cost paperback edition of Nick Crane’s Barefoot World Atlas thanks to the support of our friends at the Longview Foundation for Education in World Affairs and International Understanding.

Our friends at the Longview Foundation also helped us develop this list of other great books on different cultures and communities around the globe. Lists like this are never complete, of course, but these titles are some of our favorites. If you work with kids and know of any titles like this that we might have missed, drop us a line and let us know!

Posted in Book of the Month, Books & Reading, First Book Partners, Marketplace, Teachers - Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain

Feb06
2012 Brian Minter Written by Brian Minter

Dear First Book,

A letter from Kiley to her friends at First BookThank you for giving us the books. We really like them. You guys have the best books ever because my little sister loves these books.

I like the ‘Nancy Drew Goes to Hollywood’ one. Your books are really fun to read and they’re funny. I also like ‘She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain’.

How many books do you give out every year? Is it over 100 or lesser? It would have to be over 100 because you have to probably send books to every school right?

Have you guys ever had any other books? Have you ever been to Hawaii?

Sincerely,
Kiley

Dear Kiley,

Thanks for your letter! We get lots of thank you letters here at First Book. We read every single one of them, but we don’t often get the chance to write back. But we liked yours extra, because you asked so many excellent questions.

First of all, good job reading to your little sister. Keep it up!

We distribute a lot of books every year. Way more than one hundred, as you guessed. Last year we distributed almost NINE MILLION new books to kids like you, all over the country. And this year we’re going to do even more.

Your teacher obviously cares a lot about you and her other students, so she signed up with First Book. We want to make sure every kid out there has new books of his or her own. So if you ever meet anyone who works with kids from low-income neighborhoods, tell them to sign up with First Book, and we can help them get the books they need.

As for other books, we have LOTS of books. We have over 2,000 books on the First Book Marketplace, a website where we provide books at affordable prices. (Including lots of Nancy Drew books; they’re some of our favorites too.)

We also have another program, called the National Book Bank, where our friends at publishing companies give us lots of other new books so that we can give them away to smart kids like you.

As for Hawaii, we have been! That’s one of the many places we go to give out books; we were there a couple years ago. We would love to come Thanks for writing! Your friends at First Bookback, though, because Hawaii is AWESOME. If we come back, maybe we’ll see you.

Thanks for writing to us, and keep reading!

Sincerely,
Your friends at First Book

PS – We liked your picture of the lady on the horse going up the mountain.

Posted in Book Distributions, Books & Reading, Marketplace, National Book Bank, Teachers - Tagged , , , , , , , ,

“It was too noisy at my house and I knew if I came to school I could find a quiet place to finish it.”

Jan09
2012 Brian Minter Written by Brian Minter

"It was too noisy at my house and I knew if I came to school I could find a quiet place to finish it."

Tagged , , ,

We Couldn’t Have Done It Without You

Jan05
2012 Kyle Zimmer Written by Kyle Zimmer

We had a great year at First Book, thanks to the help of supporters like you. Together, we’re transforming the lives of millions of children in need by ensuring they have new books of their own to read.

I want to take a moment to say thank you, and tell you what’s in store for the year ahead.

First Book in 2011We’ve spent 20 years building First Book, creating a pipeline for getting books and educational resources to programs serving kids from low-income families. That pipeline is uniquely effective, connecting almost 30,000 local schools and programs across the country with new, high-quality books from every major publisher, all supported by committed donors, volunteers and corporate partners.

First Book has created innovative new models and proven that they work, and -– with your help -– we’ll be swinging for the fences in 2012, scaling rapidly upwards to bring desperately-needed supplies to the millions of children who are still waiting for us.

First Book in 2011We accomplished a lot in 2011 — distributing over 9 million new books, adding 7,000 more schools and programs to the First Book network, starting new local volunteer chapters in over a dozen communities, and launching a major upgrade to the First Book Marketplace that will provide local nonprofits and Title I schools with better access to books and other resources.

First Book in 2011But there’s much more in store. I’m excited about what we’ve got planned for the year ahead and the impact it will have, from dramatically expanding the size and scope of the network of schools and programs we reach to bringing the proven First Book model to places around the world. I’ll keep you updated as we announce new programs, partnerships and milestones.

Thank you so much for your continued support of First Book and the children who are counting on us. We couldn’t do it without you.

Kyle Zimmer
President, First Book

Posted in Book Distributions, Books & Reading, Kyle Zimmer, Marketplace, National Book Bank, Teachers, Volunteers - Tagged , , ,
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