First Book-Greater New Orleans

About Us

First Book provides new books to children in need, addressing one of the most important factors affecting literacy – access to books. An innovative leader in social enterprise, First Book has distributed more than 65 million free and low-cost books to disadvantaged children and the programs that serve them.

Since August 2007, we have raised over $100,000 through individuals, corporations, and grants to provide 42,600 brand new books to build the home libraries of over 6,000 children from low-income families in the Greater New Orleans region. 

Most recent data describes a shocking gap in access to reading materials: “While the ratio of books to children in middle-income neighborhoods is approximately 13 books per child, the ratio in low-income neighborhoods is 1 book per 300 children.” In Orleans Parish, 40.5% of children under 18 were living in low-income neighborhoods before Katrina (U.S. Census, 2000). In 2006, 53% of Orleans Parish fourth graders and 63% of eighth graders scored below the basic literacy level on the standardized LEAP test (LA Department of Education, 2007). By providing children with books they can take home and keep, First Book–Greater New Orleans targets the only variable that correlates significantly with reading scores—the number of books in the home.

First Book-Greater New Orleans Advisory Board, distributing new books to New Orleans since 2001, is working to end the literacy crisis in New Orleans through increasing children’s access to books. First Book’s network of local volunteer groups in over 270 communities nationwide harnesses the power of a massive grassroots network. We raise funds locally and select programs in Orleans and Jefferson Parishes as First Book grantees. Grantees use the funds provided by First Book to select books from catalogs co-branded with First Book’s publishing partners at significant discounts.

New books chosen by program leaders working directly with children are incorporated into program lessons, and then given to the children to take home and keep. First Book–Greater New Orleans partners with daycare centers, preschools, after-school programs, teachers’ classrooms, tutoring programs, etc. to reach disadvantaged children in Orleans and Jefferson Parishes and provide them with free books and educational materials.

The deadline for our next grant cycle is Friday, January 22, 2010.  Grant applications can be emailed directly to ellyrhodes@aol.com or neworleans_la@firstbook.org or mailed to:

First Book-Greater New Orleans
c/o Lynetta Rhodes
P.O. Box 50394
New Orleans, LA 70150

Contact Us

You can contact us by sending an email.