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“Will they still be here tomorrow?” students often ask Morgan VanClief, the librarian at P.A. Shaw Elementary School in Dorchester, MA.

They’re asking about the brand new books that Morgan has been able to bring to the school’s library through generous grants and access to the First Book Marketplace. Many of her students simply aren’t used to having resources available to them on a consistent basis, so they get nervous that the fun and exciting books they see today might not be there tomorrow.

Thanks to Morgan and funding partners like KPMG, they can be confident that the books they love will be available to them day in, day out.

“I think it helps show them that they do deserve to have these resources at school, just like any other kid,” Morgan says.

In just two years as the school’s librarian, Morgan has turned the library into a vibrant and engaging place where students can explore their interests — but it hasn’t always been that way.

“It was literally just an empty room,” Morgan says of the library, “now we have shelves full of books, computers, and even a little theatre area.”

Students are becoming more comfortable using the library regularly and in turn, more comfortable at school. Just by coming to the library every day kids are opening up, advancing reading levels and most importantly, they’re happier.

“One student who was in kindergarten two years ago—he was very reserved, kind of withdrawn, almost sad at school,” Morgan says, “but after two years of constantly coming to the library, he enjoys school now and his family says he is happier at home too.”

For many students, questions about whether or not the books will be available have been replaced by other questions. Questions about a book’s characters, or the setting of their favorite story–questions that will help them learn and grow.

Morgan VanClief’s library was able to receive books through First Book’s partnership with KPMG. If you work with children in need, you can access books and resources for your classroom through the First Book Marketplace.

The post A Library Full of Books & Happiness appeared first on First Book Blog.

The canine volunteers at Sit, Stay, Read visit classrooms in some of Chicago’s most troubled neighborhoods. The elementary school students they meet often juggle more responsibilities than most kids their age, so learning to read can seem like an extra chore.

“If you feel stressed about reading, like some of our little guys do, reading to a dog makes them feel more comfortable, more ready, and more open to the experience of reading,” says Kate McIlvain, Program Director at Sit, Stay, Read.

That is why volunteer dogs like Tilly come to classrooms and listen to students read. The canine companions enjoy any book, but dog-themed titles like Go, Dog, Go or Because of Winn-Dixie are popular choices. Tilly is happy to give her undivided attention and doesn’t mind if her reading partner stumbles on a word or two. Experiencing that kind of support and unconditional love while they read helps kids build confidence in their own literacy skills.

Often they’re having so much fun interacting with their new furry friends that they forget they’re learning.

“We’re really excited that we get to bring our program into schools and provide additional support on top of what the teachers are already doing to help make a fun, safe, comfortable, caring learning environment for our kids,” says Kate.

When the school year ends, Sit, Stay, Read holds a “Keep Reading Celebration” at every school they visit. At the party, the kids receive books and school supplies to bring home to encourage them to continue building their literacy skills throughout the summer.

This year, thanks to support from long-time First Book partner KPMG, Sit, Stay, Read was able to use the First Book Marketplace to increase the number of books that kids took home over summer break.

Unfortunately, the dogs can’t go home with the kids, too. But they will always remember their four-legged reading buddy and the excitement and the confidence-building they felt reading with them every time they pick up their books.

Sit, Stay, Read was able to receive books through First Book’s partnership with KPMG & KPMG’s Family for Literacy – a unique employee engagement program featuring volunteer opportunities, book distributions, celebration events and fundraising efforts that provide books for First Book programs in KPMG communities. If you work with children in need, you can access books and resources for your classroom through the First Book Marketplace.

The post Sit, Stay, Read: Kids & Canines Learning Literacy Skills Together appeared first on First Book Blog.

When children see their lives reflected in the books they read they become more enthusiastic readers. Their educational outcomes improve. They succeed in school and in life.

But few books actually reflect the cultures and circumstances of the kids First Book serves, all of whom live in low-income households and many of whom are of minority backgrounds. In fact, a mere 11 percent of 3,500 children’s books reviewed by Cooperative Children’s Book Center this year are about people of color.

This is the reason we created the Stories for All Project^TM – the only market-driven solution to increase diverse voices and promote inclusivity in children’s literature.

Today, we’re proud to share our latest news with you: With support from Target, KPMG and Jet Blue Airways, First Book is making 60,000 copies of outstanding children’s titles featuring diverse characters and storylines available for the first time ever in affordable trade paperback format, to fuel learning and educational equity.

We chose these titles from hundreds submitted by publishers with input from the 175,000 educators and program leaders we serve. By aggregating the demand and purchasing power of this educator community, we have become the first organization to create a viable and vibrant market for books that reflect race, ability, sexual orientation and family structure in our ever-diversifying world.

Each of our selections contributes unique perspectives underrepresented in children’s literature while remaining relatable to all readers. As part of this current effort, First Book is thrilled to make available two titles by new picture book authors:

• “Niño Wrestles the World” written and illustrated by Yuyi Morales
• “And Tango Makes Three” written by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell and illustrated by Henry Cole
• “Tiger in My Soup” written by Kashmira Sheth and illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler
• “Boats for Papa” written and illustrated by new author/illustrator Jessixa Bagley
• “Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah,” written by first-time children’s author Laurie Ann Thompson and illustrated by Sean Qualls,
• “Knock Knock: My Dad’s Dream for Me,” written by Daniel Beaty and illustrated by Bryan Collier

Copies of all six titles will be available through the First Book Marketplace.  The first three titles are also available for the first time in paperback format on Target.com and at Target stores nationwide.

Every day, in communities around the country and around the world, we see the critical need to further our human understanding and embrace the gifts and experience each of us brings. The Stories for All Project and promotes understanding, empathy and inclusivity with stories that can help all children see and celebrate their differences and similarities.

The post The Stories for All Project: 60,000 New Books to Increase Diversity, Promote Inclusivity appeared first on First Book Blog.

On Saturday, volunteers from across the country joined First Book on the National Mall in Washington DC to celebrate President Obama’s National Day of Service by providing 15,000 brand-new books to DC-area children from low-income families.

Click here to see photos of the event, including pictures of volunteers, political leaders, and even a few celebrities.

First Book was one of seven nonprofits featured at the event, highlighting the idea of community service in such areas as education, the environment and support for military families.

??Each volunteer packed two books into a bag, and decorated bookplates with personal messages.

The books, including “Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.” by Doreen Rappaport, were provided thanks to the generous support of our friends at KPMG, the U.S. audit, tax and advisory firm, through its KPMG’s Family for Literacy program.

The bags will be distributed in the coming days to students throughout DC, thanks to First Book’s partnership with the American Federation of Teachers.

Even if you weren’t able to join us on the National Mall, you can still bring new books to kids in need. Click here to donate to our National Day of Service Virtual Book Drive. Every $2.50 provides one new books to a child in need.

Normally we at First Book spend our evenings reading award-winning children’s literature, of course, but tonight we’ll be glued to our TV sets for Monday Night Football, watching golf legend Phil Mickelson try to make a $1 million shot at halftime.

If he makes it? 100% of that money will go to First Book, and that means as many as 400,000 brand-new books for kids from low-income families.

The challenge comes from our friends at KPMG, whose commitment to putting books into the hands of kids in need runs deep. It’s all part of KPMG’s Family for Literacy program and their new “Blue for Books” campaign, which has provided over 20,000 new books since March.

At the game, Mickelson will stand in one end zone, aiming for a target in the other end zone, which will have a putting green with three rings around it. If he hits the green, KPMG will donate $50,000 (that’s 20,000 brand-new books), and for each ring they’ll donate more, up to $1 million for the bulls-eye.

In the hands of a lesser golfer this might be a problem, but we’re not worried. Go Phil!

You can help KPMG and Phil get books to kids by donating to First Book. Every $2.50 pays for a brand-new book for a child in need. Or you can show your support through KPMG’s ‘Blue for Books’ campaign by buying Phil’s Blue Hat. For every hat purchased, KPMG will donate three new books. To learn more, visit philsbluehat.com.

Are you looking for a great gift this summer for the golfer in your life? How about a gift that gives back?

Golf champion Phil Mickelson has joined forces with our friends at the financial firm KPMG to launch ‘Blue for Books,’ a nationwide campaign designed to put thousands of books into the hands of children in need through the sale of KPMG blue golf hats, just like the one that Phil wears on tour.

All proceeds from sales of the hat will go directly to providing new books to kids in need through First Book.

Visit Phil’s microsite to learn more about the hat and the program, and see a video featuring Phil on the links.

Are you looking for a great Father’s Day gift? How about a gift that gives back?

Golf champion Phil Mickelson has joined forces with our friends at the financial firm KPMG to launch ‘Blue for Books,’ a nationwide campaign designed to put thousands of books into the hands of children in need through the sale of KPMG blue golf hats, just like the one that Phil wears on tour.

All proceeds from sales of the hat, as well as some special gift packs, will go to benefit First Book. In addition, our friends at Random House have pledged to match all donations with more new books. So for every hat sold, First Book will be able to put six brand-new books into the hands of kids in need.

Visit Phil’s microsite to learn more about the hat and the program, and see a video featuring Phil and a surprise cameo appearance by a special guest star. (Hint: It’s Joseph Gordon-Levitt.)

Our friends at KPMG and golf champion Phil Mickelson have paired to launch ‘Blue for Books,’ a nationwide charitable initiative designed to put thousands of books into the hands of children in need through the sale of KPMG blue golf hats, just like the famous one that Mickelson wears on tour. 

Mickelson will wear the new KPMG blue hat for the first time during the Shell Houston Open this week at Redstone Golf Club in Humble, Texas, where he is the defending champion.

For one year beginning March 26^th, 100% of the net proceeds ($7.50) from each hat purchased on PhilsBlueHat.com will be donated to First Book to provide three new books to children from low-income families. KPMG has committed to a minimum guaranteed contribution of $50,000.

Make sure to get blue for books!

First Book’s National Book Bank team just got home from Pittsburgh, where they boxed, labeled and shipped 400,000 books to kids in need all over the country, from Jacksonville to Santa Monica.

That’s a whole lot of books – five tractor-trailers full, to put it in perspective. The books all came from Disney Publishing Worldwide, and included some great titles, like ‘Island of the Blue Dolphins’, ‘The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks’, ‘Caterpillar’s Springtime Day’, and books starring characters beloved by many children, like Handy Manny, Mickey Mouse and Hannah Montana.

Shipping that many books in less than a week is a big job, and we couldn’t possibly have done it without the help of some great friends who came out to lend a hand. Volunteers like the local high school Key Club, college students, a Girl Scout troop (they were amazing on sticker duty) and service-minded individuals of all stripes. Not to mention the team from a local KPMG office, whose accounting skills were put to excellent use. KPMG is a major supporter of First Book, and we can always count on their local offices to help us out.

And, perhaps most importantly, our hosts at World Vision, a truly inspirational organization that provides badly-needed resources to children and families in the United States and around the world who have been victims of natural disasters, famine, war and disease. Because First Book has no warehouses, we rely on donated space to temporarily house the books donated to us by generous publishers, and World Vision stepped up to help out in Pittsburgh. We couldn’t have asked for a nicer, friendlier, more helpful bunch of people to work with.

The best part of our book distributions, though, is getting to meet some of the local schools and programs who take our books back to the children that they serve. They always thank us when we fill their trucks and station wagons with cartons of new books, but we tell them that they’re the ones who deserve the thanks. It’s a privilege to help them in the heroic work that they do to each and every day.

So hats off to Pittsburgh. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Renowned children’s author R.L. Stine recently joined First Book in celebrating the distribution of one million books that KPMG’s Family for Literacy has made possible during the first two years of our partnership with the audit, tax, and advisory firm.

Just in time for the author’s favorite holiday, the Halloween celebration took place at a school in Harlem where Mr. Stine shared that nothing scares him more than the thought of kids growing up without books. The message was well received by the students, who greeted Mr. Stine with rock star adoration. A group of older students on the playground recognized him and flocked to him – saying how much they loved his Goosebumps, Fear Street and latest Goosebumps HorrorLand books and sharing how cool it was to have him at their school.  Mick Jagger couldn’t have felt more loved by his fans.

Thanks to generous contributions of funding and volunteer time by KPMG partners, staff and their families and friends, First Book has been able to reach tens of thousands of children with wonderful new books. First Book is especially grateful to Susan Flynn and Beth Veihmeyer who helped originate KPMG’s Family for Literacy which has quickly proven to be an innovative model for engaging partners, employees, alumni, retirees, and interns, as well as their families and friends in a shared cause that benefits the educational needs of children in need in KPMG communities nationwide.

NEW JERSEY! The Garden State, The Clam State, The Pathway of Revolution and the lesser known Switzerland of America! Last Monday, three of my First Book colleagues and I traveled north along Interstate 95 to New Jersey, where we experienced many of the state’s nicknames and helped to further the “The Pathway of Revolution” by distributing more than 200,000 new books throughout the Garden State and beyond.

Although we were only there for a short time, we were able to distribute popular books such as Movable Mother Goose by Robert Sabuda and Nature Science by award-winning authors Shar Levine and Leslie Johnstone to over 100 First Book Recipient Groups. Of those groups, more than 20 organizations were able to pick their books up in North Brunswick, New Jersey thanks to the generous donation of warehouse space by Feed the Children, while the remaining groups will have their books shipped right to their programs.

Looking around an empty warehouse after two long days of hard work, it’s hard to believe that the 200,000 books that filled the same space just a few days earlier have been given to groups all around the United States. This change is always humbling, exciting and reminds us that without the tremendous support of our partners – Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, Sterling Publishing Company, the Feed the Children warehouse and numerous KPMG volunteers and their families – we wouldn’t have been able to make such a large impact!

Last week, I travelled with the First Book team to Romeoville, Illinois to distribute over 400,000 books to children across the nation. I was very excited to get my first on-the-ground look at a book distribution from start to finish. The books donated by Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing included approximately seventy different titles, ranging from bath books to bilingual books.

First Book was able to house the books and then prepare them for shipment or pickup to serve groups benefitting children from low-income families thanks to warehouse space donated by Hub One Logistics. An extra special thanks goes out to Manny at the Hub One warehouse who helped ensure that these books ended up in the right hands in a timely fashion.

In addition, I’d like to thank KPMG for supplying volunteers to assist in this large undertaking. Their hard work and enthusiasm made this distribution run with ease and efficiency.

Vehicles of all sizes rolled up to the warehouse where groups received anywhere from four to over two hundred boxes of books. While many recipient groups had books shipped to them, some groups were able to pick up their boxes of books on Tuesday and Wednesday during the distribution at no cost. It was so rewarding to see a recipient’s face light up at the sight of so many boxes of books, knowing how much they would improve the lives of the children they so admirably serve.

On Tuesday, Kyle Zimmer was present to accept a donation at the KPMG Mickelson Invitational. The Invitational was held at the RTJ Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia. Phil Mickelson, famed golf pro and friend to KPMG, led the outing that included KPMG Partners and guests from the DC area. While Kyle did not show off her golf skills, she was presented with a check from John Veihmeyer, CEO, KPMG, LLP, provided by KPMG on behalf of tournament winners. KPMG will host similar events in Atlanta, Houston, and San Francisco. In support of KPMG’s efforts, First Book will bring 5,000 new books to children in each of these communities.

We want to thank KPMG for yet another demonstration of their commitment to education.