Posts tagged What Book Got You Hooked

First Book is Heading to Hawaii!

Mar23
2010 Written by Danielle M.

As the 2009 winner of the What Book Got You Hooked? campaign, children in Hawaii will be receiving 50,000  new books this week, thanks to the more than 90,000 online votes cast by individuals across the state!

The books from the What Book Got You Hooked? campaign have arrived in the Aloha state and will be distributed later this week! On Thursday, March 25th, First Book will host a celebration rally at the Hawaii State Library featuring guest speakers, live music and hula, plus story time for the kids.  If you are in the area, come by and celebrate this amazing achievement with us!

Where: Hawaii State Library – Main Library
478 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96813

When: Thursday, March 25, 2010
11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Posted in Books & Reading, First Book Events - Tagged ,

Kim Coco Iwamoto brings the Aloha Spirit to First Book!

Oct30
2009 Written by Stephanie V.

First Book offices were a flurry recently when surprise visitor Kim Coco Iwamoto of the Hawaii Board of Education dropped in on First Book’s DC headquarters to pay a visit to the staff members behind the books.

Kim Coco Iwamoto Visits with First Book Staff

Kim Coco Iwamoto Visits with First Book Staff

There’s quite a First Book buzz on the Islands these days. Hawaiians amazed everyone as they sped past other state hopefuls to become this year’s winners of our annual What Book Got You Hooked? contest. The prize? A distribution of 50,000 books. We’re encouraging programs that serve predominantly children in need to register with First Book to find out when this special distribution will take place and connect permanently with First Book resources to help get books for the kids they serve.

Special thanks to First Book Advisory Board members on the ground who will be helping to distribute books to the excited recipients on each of the Hawaii state islands in the coming months!

As a member of the Hawaii Board of Education, Kim Coco is as excited as anyone about the upcoming distribution. She came in and chatted with us about the all the enthusiasm from elementary schools to libraries and after school programs—everyone seems to be bursting with glee over this great win. As Recipient Group Coordinators, Matthew White and I have the pleasure of working one-on-one with potential recipients of books from First Book. We were able to tell Ms. Iwamoto all about the phone calls and emails that have been coming in from the endearing people in Hawaii and in turn, she expressed just what kind of an impact a distribution like this will have.

Ms. Iwamoto left us feeling inspired and thrilled to be working with such positive and energetic Hawaiians on an issue as integral and important as education. It’s always great to meet Recipient Groups and supporters. You are always welcome at First Book!

Posted in Books & Reading - Tagged , ,

Hawaii kids win 50,000 new books from First Book!

Oct01
2009 Written by Katie B.

What Book Got You Hooked? tileWith over 90,000 out of the nearly 290,000 votes cast, the winner of this year’s What Book Got You Hooked? campaign is Hawaii! Congratulations to the Aloha State!

Programs serving kids in need in the state which are registered with First Book will be eligible to participate in the book distribution which will take place in the coming months.

Although voting has concluded for our 2009 campaign, you can still make a donation to help provide brand new books to children in need as well as share your favorite books and memories year round!

See the entire list of state rankings by visiting the What Book Got You Hooked? Web site.

And stay tuned! We’re tallying the results and the list of your favorite books will be announced online in the next few days.

Posted in Books & Reading, First Book Events - Tagged

Today is the Last Day to Vote for What Book Got You Hooked!

Sep30
2009 Written by Katie B.

Vote now or forever hold your peace (until next year)…

what-book-2.jpgDon’t forget to cast your vote for the book that got you hooked and the state to receive 50,000 new books. Voting is open through 12:00 am midnight ET TONIGHT, September 30!

Vote now to bring the 50,000 books to children in YOUR state! The winning state and the top books that got America hooked will be posted here later this week!

Posted in Books & Reading

Time is Running Out to Cast Your Vote in What Book Got You Hooked

Sep21
2009 Written by Katie B.

Only 10 days remain in this year’s What Book Got You Hooked campaign. In the past week,  literacy champions in several states have been rallying their communities and casting their votes to have What Book Got You Hooked?a shot at the grand prize – a 50,000 book distribution for kids in need in one lucky state.

From tweets and blog posts to local news coverage (like this great clip from a KHON TV in Honolulu), word is spreading like wildfire about the campaign.

Currently, the top 10 top ten vote-getting states are:
1. Hawaii
2. Kentucky
3. Oklahoma
4. North Carolina
5. Alabama
6. Nebraska
7. West Virginia
8. Massachusetts
9. Virginia
10. California

Don’t see your state in the top 10? There is still time to vote online at http://www.firstbook.org/whatbook through September 30. There’s no telling what could happen in the next 10 days, so be sure to vote and check back often!

Vote to bring the 50,000 books to children in YOUR state — and share the campaign with a friend today!

Posted in Books & Reading

What Book Got You Hooked: Your Comments

Aug26
2009 Written by Katie B.

what-book-2.jpgThousands of you have already voted and shared the books and memories that made you a reader. Check out some of the great comments we’ve received. Is your favorite book listed?

If not, make sure to vote today and share your story of how you got hooked on reading! We’ll post more comments throughout the next several weeks.

Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
“It was the first book I could read and understand myself. I grew up in a household of 8 siblings. I would hide in a closet with a flashlight and read an entire chapter.” – Vanessa

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
“I loved the book, I would have my parents read it over and over until they finally wouldn’t read it any more that day.” – Craig

Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
“I just remember the pictures and the little boy seemed unafraid of anything. I really wanted to be Max. Plus, what a cool set of p-j’s!” – Paul

Now We Are Six by A.A. Milne; Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey; and The New Zoo McGroo Zoo
“Sorry!  I could not pick just one.  These three books still bring back fond memories of my room in my grandmother’s house, snuggled in my bed and having an expressive rendition of such old favorites.” – Ellen

Happy Birthday to You by Dr. Seuss
“I got the book in second grade and could read it MYSELF!  Books have always taken me on adventures, allowed me to be someone else and encouraged me to ‘fly.’” – Carolyn

Posted in Authors & Illustrators, Books & Reading - Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

What Book Got You Hooked? Celebrity Feature: Ed Asner

Aug12
2009 Written by Nisha T.

First Book’s “What Book Got You Hooked?” invites readers everywhere to share the memory of unforgettable books that got them hooked on the fun of reading and to vote for the state to receive 50,000 new books for children in need. First Book asked some of your favorite celebrities and authors to celebrate books and reading by sharing some of their childhood favorites.

Ed Asner, famous for his role as Lou Grant on the Mary Tyler Moore show as well as his roles in Spiderman, Batman and the Hulk, recently starred in the popular movie Up, released in theaters earlier this summer. Up is a delightful story both young and old can enjoy. In Up, an elderly man seeks to fulfill his dream of visiting South America by tying balloons to his home and floating away. We cheer for him as his adventure unfolds in a story that joins generations.

ed_asner

Ed Asner has graciously supported First Book’s What Book Got You Hooked? Campaign, telling us, “Ferdinand The Bull written in 1936 by author Munro Leaf, has always held a warm spot in my heart because it is about a bull who would rather stop and smell the flowers than fight. Ultimately Ferdinand wins the day because of his peace-loving beliefs.”

Share the book that got you hooked at www.firstbook.org/whatbook and vote for the state to receive 50,000 books. Voting remains open until September 30, so vote early and vote often– don’t forget to share the fun with family and friends too! Join First Book, Ed Asner and others this year in sharing the joys of great books with kids who need them the most.

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

Getting Kids Hooked on Books Since 1992

Aug03
2009 Written by Katie B.

What Book Got You Hooked?You’ve been waiting all summer for this and now the wait is finally over! First Book proudly announces that voting for What Book Got You Hooked?, our annual campaign celebrating the books that made you a reader for life, is now live!

You know the drill: visit FirstBook.org/whatbook to share the memory of the first book that got you hooked on reading and then vote for the state to receive 50,000 brand new books for children in need.

Nancy Drew has topped the list of the top 50 books for the last two years, will another book take this coveted spot this year? Will Oklahoma or Kentucky have a repeat victory this year or will kids in another lucky state receive 50,000 new books? Only time will tell.

Voting is open through September 30 — so cast your vote daily and spread the word — tell a friend, a neighbor or your favorite librarian and have them join in the fun! We’ll announce the winning state and the top 50 books that got you hooked in early October.

Posted in Books & Reading, First Book Events, Literacy

Balancing Act

Jun02
2009 Written by Rachael Walker

Guest Blogger Rachael Walker is the Outreach Consultant for Reading Rockets, a national multimedia initiative which aims to inform and inspire parents, teachers, childcare providers, and others who touch the life of a child by providing comprehensive, accessible information on how to teach kids to read and help those who struggle. Rachael began her career in children’s literacy at Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), has also served as a consultant to the NEA’s Read Across America campaign, and was most recently the Executive Director of Reach Out and Read of Metro DC.

Jennifer knew
As well as you
That everything has its place,
But she just didn’t care
a whit,
a bit,
So her room was a real disgrace!

–from The Big Tidy-Up by Norah Smaridge

When I saw First Book’s popular campaign—What Booked Got You Hooked?—was back this summer, instead of just ogling the celebrity favorites, I stopped to think about the story that helped turn me into a lifelong reader. It didn’t take me long. I knew right away it was Jennifer and her extremely messy room that had hooked me.

But why? Was it because both my parents regularly read aloud to me?  Was it thanks to the excellent preschool program I attended? That I was born just in time for Sesame Street? Or was it because Jennifer had a canopy bed just like mine?

I always thought of myself as a natural reader, but I know there’s nothing natural about learning or teaching this complex process. When I first introduced Bookmark readers to Reading Rockets one year ago, I pointed out that teaching reading is a hugely complicated task. Kind of like rocket science! READ MORE »

Posted in Books & Reading, Guest Blog Posts, Literacy - Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Summer isn’t summer without good books!

May28
2009 Written by Theresa H.

Do you remember when you were little — staying up late under your covers with a flashlight to finish a real page-turner?  Or what about that book you couldn’t put down at the beach last year?  All of us at First Book can’t imagine what life would be like without great stories, which is why we’re kicking off What Book Got You Hooked? again this summer.  We’re celebrating the favorite books that no child should grow up without.

Please help us (1) introduce kids to the stories that made you a lifelong reader and (2) meet our goal to raise $100,000 by the end August.  Tell us What Book Got You Hooked and then make a donation so that all children have access to great books — not just for this summer, but forever.

And stay tuned! Later this summer we want you to vote for the state to receive 50,000 new books from First Book. In the meantime, please spread the word and ask your friends and family to tell us What Book Got You Hooked?!

Posted in Books & Reading, First Book Events - Tagged , ,
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