Obviously, every child across America should learn to read; however, due to numerous hurdles it is not something every child is able to do. Books can be quite expensive and are sometimes hard to come by personally and/or for the school districts within which many children attend school. The majority of programs reaching low-income populations have few, if any, age-appropriate books for the children they serve.
This is where FirstBook comes into the picture. By providing new books to children in preschools and after-school programs, mentoring and tutoring programs, shelters and day care centers and beyond, First Book provides resources to empower teachers and administrators.
Recently employees from eBay (my employer) and PayPal had the chance to donate their time at Rodriguez Elementary School in Austin, TX. They read to a bilingual group of children and presented 500 brand new books to the school's library. This was the first of three First Book reading parties being held nationwide by eBay, each with the goal of delivering new books to schools in need. You can read much more about it on Bookmark, the FirstBook Blog.
I remember the magic of my first book, at least the first book I can recall being
read to me. It was “Oh What a Wonderful Day” by Gyo Fujikawa and now that I have a daughter, I have begun reading it to her at bedtime in hopes that she will love it just as much.
What was the first book you remember reading and/or what is your favorite children's book?
Do something and do it now!
JD
