Children’s Book Project gives books to children who need them for equity in literacy, learning, and life.

Our goal is to create a more socially just world by providing books for free to children from under-resourced communities. Literacy attainment is directly tied to academic achievement and lifetime outcomes, yet children living in economically disadvantaged circumstances do not have the same access to books as their more affluent peers. Children’s Book Project is committed to closing the opportunity gap and lifting up our community by raising readers and ultimately paving the way for lifelong learning and literacy.

Our News

Rise Above the Summer Slide

Rather than stressing about summer learning loss, researchers urge focusing on the joy of learning. While reading is especially important to keep up in the summer, children have more time to dive into topics they can’t pursue during the school year. A meta-analysis of 41 summer reading interventions shows the benefit to reading comprehension for children from low-income backgrounds. Yet lack of access to books still remains the biggest barrier to literacy development in the United States.

You can help kids enhance their learning and stave off the summer slide with free, high-interest books for children who need them! Organize a book drive, Give Books, and Get Books at our Book Bank for the under-resourced children you serve.

The Right to Read at the Roxie

Children who can’t read face increased odds of incarceration, homelessness, and unemployment as adults. National literacy activist Kareem Weaver believes literacy is the greatest civil rights issue of our time and is fighting for better reading instruction, saying, “What good is winning the right to vote if we can’t even read the ballot?” Fed up with the bleak reading scores in his own community, Kareem files a petition with the Oakland Unified School District demanding change.

This Juneteenth screening of The Right to Read will benefit the Children’s Book Project — bring a new children’s book to donate and receive a free small popcorn!

Wednesday, June 19, 2024
4:30 pm
at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco

Details and tickets at roxie.com/film/the-right-to-read/

Enter code Books4Kids to get $3 off general admission at check out.

Celebrate Children’s Book Week!

From May 6 – 12, Children’s Book Week celebrates the theme No Rules. Just Read. Speaking to the joy and pride of reading what you want, when you want, and how you want, the theme highlights that there’s no right way or right thing to read. Reading builds curiosity, imagination, empathy, and problem-solving skills. A childhood love of reading sets the stage for success as an adult, but to read what, when, and how they want, children need access to books of their own. That’s why Children’s Book Project gives free books to children who need them for literacy, learning, and life—during Children’s Book Week and all year round!