Posts tagged #bookstokids

One Million Books Available Now for Schools and Programs in States Affected by Hurricane Sandy

Apr15
2013 Leave a Comment Brian Minter Written by Brian Minter

One Million Books from First Book for Victims of Hurricane SandySince Hurricane Sandy struck the East Coast last fall, First Book has been working to help local schools, community programs and families rebuild their lost libraries.

Now, thanks to our friends at Random House, we have the resources to rebuild tens of thousands of home and classroom libraries: over one million brand-new, high-quality kid’s books.

We just need to get the word out.

Help us by sharing this blog post with anyone you know who works with children in need, and tell them to sign up with First Book today.

Recognizing the wide-ranging impact of this storm on many aspects of children’s lives, schools and programs do not have to have been physically damaged by the storm to apply for books. Any school or program that was affected by the storm or serves children in need in one of the 13 affected states is encouraged to sign up to receive books.

NOTE: The books are available to schools and programs in the 13 states designated by FEMA as being affected by Hurricane Sandy: Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, DC.

Posted in Book Distributions, Book Relief, First Book Partners - Tagged , , , , , , , ,

First Book Supports 50,000 Local Schools and Community Programs. (Yes! 50,000!)

Mar20
2013 9 Comments Brian Minter Written by Brian Minter

50,000 Local Schools and Community Programs in the First Book NetworkLast year First Book made it a goal to reach more kids in need by doubling the number of local schools and community programs in our national network, from 25,000 to 50,000.

We’ve reached that number! Over 50,000 Title I classrooms, early childhood education programs, afterschool programs, museums and libraries, housing authorities, faith-based organizations, military family support programs, health clinics and others are signed up with First Book, and every one of them now has permanent, ongoing access to a steady stream of brand-new, high-quality books and educational resources.

First Book Supports 50,000 Local Schools and Community ProgramsThat’s terrific news, and we’re grateful to all the partners and supporters that helped us get there.

But we’re not knocking off work just yet. There are 30 million children in the United States living in low-income homes, and access to books is scarce for far too many of them. There are over 1.3 million programs and classrooms still waiting for us, and we need to reach them all.

Help make that happen! If you know someone who works with kids from low-income families, tell them about First Book. Forward them this blog post, or send them to our website, where they can sign up.

It’s quick, it’s free, and we have brand-new books just waiting for them.

Posted in Book Recipients, First Book Partners, First Book Supporters, Success Stories - Tagged ,

Will YOUR KIDS Have Books for ‘Read Across America’ Day?

Feb11
2013 Brian Minter Written by Brian Minter
Chandler Arnold, First Book's executive vice-president, with a student from Belmont Runyon Elementary school in Newark, NJ, at a ‘Read Across America’ event last year.

Chandler Arnold, First Book’s executive vice-president, with a student from Belmont Runyon Elementary school in Newark, NJ, at a ‘Read Across America’ event last year.

Read Across America Day is fast approaching; on March 1, children across the country will celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday by reading ‘The Cat in the Hat’ and other childhood favorites.

But, as much as we love Dr. Seuss, the READING part is the important bit. At First Book, we will always line up for cake and ice cream, but books and reading come first. Because kids who read at home become stronger, more capable readers, and that’s the critical ingredient in become successful — in school and in life.

‘Read Across America’ is an annual event sponsored by our friends at the National Education Association (NEA). First Book is proud to do our part for such a critical issue.

Here’s what you can do:

And most importantly of all, take the time to read to a child in your life. You’ll both be glad you did.

Posted in Authors & Illustrators, Books & Reading, Education, First Book Partners, Literacy - Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

OMG Books! How First Book is Putting Half a Million Dollars on the Table to Make Sure Kids Get the Books They Need.

Jan31
2013 Brian Minter Written by Brian Minter

UPDATE: So many publishers have expressed interest that we’ve extended the deadline for proposals until Friday, Feb. 8 at 9 pm ET. (If you’re a publisher and have already submitted materials, feel free to make changes and send it back in. Questions? Email omgbooks@firstbook.org.)

# # #

First Book event in Washington DCAt First Book, we do everything in our power to make sure that kids from low-income families are getting the books they need. So we don’t just drop a box of used books off at the door. We work hard to make sure we offer Newbery and Caldecott winners, popular titles, books that kids want to read. The books are always brand-new, and we let the educators closest to the children make the decisions about which titles their kids will respond to.

But all too often, kids from low-income neighborhoods — if they have books at all — have books with characters and stories that aren’t relevant to their lives. And that makes it harder to turn them on to reading.

So today we’re taking another big step to make sure we’re doing everything we can to turn those kids into readers. We’ve reached out to our friends in the publishing industry with an extraordinary offer.

As the centerpiece of our new OMG Books (Offering More Great Books) initiative, we’re stepping up with $500,000 to purchase hundreds of thousands of new books featuring voices that are rarely represented in children’s literature: minorities, characters of color, and others whose experiences resonate with the children we serve, characters and stories that are relevant to their lives.

The First Book MarketplaceWe already work closely with leading publishers to provide new books for teachers and program leaders serving children in need. Last year we purchased three million new books from major publishers, which we made available – at significant discounts – to the 50,000 schools and programs in our national network, through the First Book Marketplace.

At first, this approach seems unusual to some people. Why are we selling books to programs? Why aren’t we just giving them away?

Actually, we are giving books away — millions of them every year — through our National Book Bank program. But the First Book Marketplace is a different kind of innovation.

Through the First Book Marketplace, we’re aggregating the buying power of tens of thousands of Title I classrooms, after-school programs, homeless shelters and others serving the most vulnerable children. Those classrooms and programs may not have the funds to go into a bookstore and buy books at retail prices, but when they come together through First Book, they represent a real market for the publishing industry. Which, in turn, benefits by reaching new customers they wouldn’t otherwise be able to reach.

This new initiative is a big deal, and we’re excited! The offer is out to every leading publisher, and we’re already getting back proposals. We’ll share more news as soon as we have it.

NOTE: If you work for a publisher, or are just interested in fine print, check out the request here. All proposals welcome!

Posted in Book Recipients, Books & Reading, First Book Partners, Literacy, Marketplace, Social Entrepreneurship - Tagged , , ,

[INFOGRAPHIC] First Book’s Big Year

Dec20
2012 Brian Minter Written by Brian Minter

First Book's Big Year: We got a lot of books to kids in 2012

* Click on the graphic to see a bigger, snazzier version.

Learn more about how First Book provides new books to kids in need, and how you can get involved, at firstbook.org.

Posted in Book Distributions, Book Recipients, First Book Supporters, Success Stories, Volunteers - Tagged , , , , ,

Help First Book Get Over One Million Books to Kids in Need. Yes, You! Right now!

Nov18
2011 Brian Minter Written by Brian Minter

The end of the year is approaching fast, and that means First Book gets lots of great, high-quality book donations from the many wonderful publishers we work with. Which is terrific; we love books. But when we have this many new books, we need some help getting the word out.

Help First Book Get Over One Million Books to Kids in Need.There are a lot of people working with a lot of kids in our national network of 27,000 local schools and programs. But a million books is a LOT of books.

So we’d love to meet some more local schools and programs. If you know a teacher or program leader who works with kids from low-income families, tell them about First Book! You can send them to firstbook.org, or just forward this blog post.

All they have to do is sign up (it’s free, online and only takes a few minutes) and they can apply for all kinds of great books for their kids. Free! (Well, not completely free. There is a 35 cent shipping and handling cost per book, but we try to move these distributions around the country as much as possible so programs who can’t even afford that minimal cost can avoid it by picking up the books in person. Between now and the end of the year, we’ll be visiting Nashville, St. Joseph, Mo., St. Louis, and Casa Grande, Ariz.)

What’s the catch, you ask? THERE IS NO CATCH. First Book is a nonprofit with the mission of getting new books to kids that need them. This is our thing.

To recap:

  • Books.
  • Lots of them.
  • There is no catch.
  • Sign up today at firstbook.org.

Click here to learn more about First Book and our National Book Bank program.

Posted in Book Distributions, National Book Bank - Tagged , , ,

Make Your Mark Week! Pledge to Read Books and First Book Will Donate Five New Books

Oct17
2011 Brian Minter Written by Brian Minter

It’s Make Your Mark Week! The fine folks at generationOn host this annual event to inspire and mobilize young people to use their energy, ingenuity and compassion to make their mark on the world through hands-on service. During Make Your Mark Week, young people focus on issues that matter most to them by doing small acts or service projects that add up to make a big difference.

We love this kind of stuff! So much so that this year, First Book (with help from our friends at HarperCollins) has pledged to donate five brand-new books to kids in need for each person who signs the pledge and agrees to read to a younger child.

Yes, this means you. Sign up here and do a small, good thing for the world, and we’ll match it by doing another small, good thing for the world, and pretty soon we’ll be making a real difference.

First Book Will Donate New Books to Kids in Need for Everyone Who Takes the Pledge

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

First Book Brings 150,000 Books to Kids in Need for Summer Reading

Jun21
2011 Brian Minter Written by Brian Minter

First Book Brings 150,000 Books to Kids in Need for Summer ReadingToday is not only the official first day of summer, it’s also National Summer Learning Day. First Book couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate than by bringing 150,000 brand-new books to the National Mall to stuff into backpacks going to children in need all over the country.

The nation’s capitol is having a stretch of lovely weather this week, so our staff is joining the United Way and their army of volunteers to make this happen.

Summer is a great time of the year for readers. Instead of reading what you were told to read, you get to read whatever you want. And, if you’re lucky, you get to sit on the beach, reading and getting sunburned.

But for lots of kids, summer isn’t a time for reading. And that’s not so great, because there is a very real drop-off in achievement for kids from low-income homes. This gap puts them even further behind their more fortunate classmates, leading directly to lower test scores, lower rates of graduation and lower chances of going to college or finding good jobs.

But you can help turn it around! Visit our friends at the National Summer Learning Association to find out ways to help kids in your life, and if there’s a school or community program near you that serves kids from low-income neighborhoods, reach out to a librarian, reading teacher or program leader and tell them about First Book. Once they register with us, we can ensure they have a steady stream of new books, this summer and throughout the year.

Posted in Books & Reading, Literacy, Volunteers - Tagged , , , , ,