The amazing story of First Book

One of my favorite people in the book world is a woman named Kyle Zimmer. Like me, Kyle is a recovering attorney who found her calling in the world of books and literacy. In all other respects, Kyle is really my hero and, quite honestly, she's who I want be when I grow up! In 1992, after volunteering in a soup kitchen and learning that none of the kids she was meeting had access to books, she and two friends decided they had to do something. They recognized that literacy is a strong predictor of a child’s future success and that a child without access to books won’t have the chance to become an engaged and capable reader so they established First Book, a brilliantly run organization based in DC that is all about putting new books in the hands of the kids who need them most. To date, First Book has distributed more than 80 million free or low-priced books. First Book is a sophisticated and effective model of all that a social entrepreneurial entity should be. At the core of the vision and mission is the most incredible, smart, passionate and wonderful group of people you could ever hope to know. Kyle's team includes Chandler Arnold, Jane Robinson, Erica Perl, Mitali Chakraborty and many more all-stars that I am privileged to know and consider friends. Hats off to First Book for the important work they do and for the lessons they have taught the rest of us about getting things done. The geniuses at First Book are constantly coming up with new and fun ideas to get their message out there and add to their vast following. Check out the video below, featuring celebrities in the children's book world (and my First Book friends were kind enough to let me crash the party!) and tell me you aren't hooked - then show your support!!





The Story of First Book from First Book on Vimeo.