firstbook

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"I think it is a book of hope. Children need hope. You, little insignificant caterpillar, can grow up into a beautiful butterfly and fly into the world with your talent. Will I ever be able to do that? Yes, you will."

Happy 90th birthday, Eric Carle! 🐛🦋

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"Perspective-taking not only connects our sense of empathy with what we have just read but also expands our internalized knowledge of the world."

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Here Are 21 Free Resources for Teaching Social Justice in the Classroom

It’s important to both teach the history and build upon the work of the countless people who contributed to social justice movements.

Here are resources to guide your students through conversations about inclusion, diversity, and equity.

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Awww, you’re too much 🙈

Looking for a summer internship?

Come work with us at First Book! We’re looking for interns for all departments, including marketing, engagement, development, and IT!

Learn more here.

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Looking for a summer internship?

Come work with us at First Book! We’re looking for interns for all departments, including marketing, engagement, development, and IT!

Learn more here.

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Enter to win tickets to the premiere of Disney's new live-action "Dumbo" movie, the movie premiere after-party, Disneyland®, and a $1000 travel voucher! 

Michael Keaton, star of the new "Dumbo" movie, walks through the details of this awesome sweepstakes benefiting nonprofit First Book.

Visit www.crowdrise.com/MagicalAdventure to learn more & enter to win. . . . .

Limitations / Restrictions: Void where prohibited. Open only to U.S. residents, age 18+ (or the age of majority in your state, whichever is greater) at time of entry. Winner’s guest may be a minor only if winner is the parent/legal guardian of the minor. Ground transport, hotel extras, additional hotel night(s), meals & incremental expenses not included. $1000 travel voucher can be used for flights/additional hotel nights. Individuals can enter up to 50 times total, per person, regardless of method of entry.

No purchase necessary to enter or win. Sweepstakes starts on 1/11/19 at 9:00am ET and ends on 2/22/19 at 11:59:59pm ET. Click Here for the Official Sweepstakes Rules - http://bit.ly/FBDumboSweepsRules

Sponsored by First Book. Disney is not a sponsor of the sweepstakes.

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We need your help to unlock a 1 million book donation to the educators and kids we serve!

Join our mission to provide books to kids and me by posting a #shelfie (a picture of yourself with your favorite book, or a picture of your bookshelf) on Instagram or Twitter. And make sure to use the hashtag #MagicOfStorytelling!

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These books changed the lives of New York Public Library librarians while growing up. What book changed your life?

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"I had this long line of people, and every single one of these guys said, 'You are my childhood. You were my childhood.' You never get tired of hearing it. It’s kind of always kind of a shock, but I hear it all the time. We captured that."

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2018 Proved Black Kids Read (And White Kids Read Books With Black Leads)

"The Hate U Give” book and film have made it crystal clear that not only do black kids read, white kids (and adults!) will read books with a black lead.

A black female lead, at that.

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"Representation saves lives."

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Palaces for the people: why libraries are more than just books

Libraries are not the kinds of institutions that most social scientists, policymakers, and community leaders usually bring up when they discuss social capital and how to build it. But they offer something for everyone, regardless of whether they’re a citizen, a permanent resident, or even a convicted felon – and all of it for free.

Doing research in New York City, I learned that libraries and their social infrastructure are essential not only for a neighborhood’s vitality but also for buffering all kinds of personal problems – including isolation and loneliness.

Read more.

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I feel attacked 

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This retired school teacher transformed his three-wheeler into a tiny mobile library to spread the joy of books to children in the remote communities of Italy.

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There’s always that expectation that you’re always writing for a White reader. There’s never the assumption that you’re writing for your own audience, that you can use the vernacular because you’re writing for people who use the vernacular. 

In episode 16 author/educator Zetta Elliott talks about the expectation of authors of color and that her goal is to write for those who don’t traditionally see themselves in books. 

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The World’s on Fire. Can We Still Talk About Books?

"Freely making art, and freely talking about the art you made, is valuable in and of itself when free expression is being eroded."

Read more from @ElectricLit: https://bit.ly/2G3zIeA

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Michelle Obama loves books. So who was her favorite character as a child?

“Pippi Longstocking was my girl. I loved her strength — not just her physical power, but the idea that she wouldn’t allow her voice to be diminished by anyone. She’s independent, clever and adventurous — and she’s clearly a good person, someone who always does right by her friends. What I loved most was that she was a girl, and she was a little different, and she was still the most powerful character in those books.”