First Book and Penguin Random House Celebrate 42 Million Children's Books Distributed Together Through 25-Year Partnership

Nov. 17 celebrations include a virtual reading with bestselling author Mary Pope Osborne, and panel discussion with educators on overcoming the decline in reading for pleasure

WASHINGTON, Nov. 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading global trade publisher Penguin Random House and First Book, the national nonprofit that expands educational opportunities for children in low-income communities, are celebrating 25 years of partnership—and during that time the publishing house has donated more than 42 million books to children in need across the U.S. through First Book.

To celebrate the partnership, on Nov. 17, Mary Pope Osborne, the beloved author of the bestselling Magic Tree House series, will host a virtual reading and Q&A session for children served by First Book educators nationwide, presented by First Book and Penguin Random House. The free event will be live streamed through First Book's new digital site, the First Book Community Platform.

"For almost two decades, my partnership with First Book has shown me again and again how a single book can change the course of a child's life," said Pope Osborne. "Kyle and the remarkable First Book team make it possible for stories to reach underserved classrooms and communities, where children can discover the joy of reading – a joy that can open the door to a lifetime of curiosity, possibility, and discovery. I'm excited to celebrate this milestone with First Book and Penguin Random House."

In addition to the reading celebration for students, First Book and Penguin Random House will host a virtual panel for First Book educators that same evening featuring Pope Osborne and Dr. Jill Sonke, co-director of the EpiArts Lab at the University of Florida's Center for Arts in Medicine. Dr. Sonke will share the results of her recent study, conducted with University College London, which revealed that the share of Americans who read for pleasure has declined by 40 percent over the past 20 years in the U.S. Carmela Iaria, Vice President of School & Library Marketing at Penguin Random House, will also join the panel to discuss strategies for motivating students to pick up a book for fun.  

"Reading for pleasure not only supports education, but it is important for supporting mental health and wellbeing, empathy, creativity, and lifelong learning," said Dr. Sonke. "One of our research findings is that only 2 percent of the sample report reading with children. We know that reading with children is one of the most promising opportunities to support literacy and wellbeing for adults and children alike. Increasing access to books and creating a culture of reading as a social norm has enormous public health and community benefits." 

Yet one of the barriers to reading is that books aren't widely available. An estimated 27 million U.S. children are growing up in low-income communities, where books are scarce: in under-resourced neighborhoods, education researchers report finding only one book for every 300 children, compared to 13 books per child in middle-income communities. In surveys by First Book Research & Insights, First Book's research arm, teachers report spending hundreds of dollars out of their own pockets every year on books for their classrooms and for children to take home.

"Educators are the backbones of their communities, and our partnership with First Book makes it possible to reach more than we ever would otherwise," said Claire von Schilling, Executive Vice President of Corporate Communications and Social Responsibility at Penguin Random House. "For 25 years, we have worked with First Book to give their growing community of more than 600,000 amazing educators—teachers, librarians, volunteers, and program leaders—access to books that help make a difference in children's lives every day." 

"Books are power tools for children and adults," said Kyle Zimmer, President and CEO of First Book. "The heroes at Penguin Random House have made sure that teachers and community programs have books that enrich learning; reading tutors have stories that excite reluctant readers; and millions of children have books that they can cherish. These books are shared with parents and grandparents, siblings and friends – creating opportunities to read together that support health, wellbeing, and literacy skills, and build strong bonds between adults and children in communities across the country. The impact can be felt across the nation because it strengthens the workforce needed for all of our futures! In addition to Penguin Random House, we are indebted to Mary Pope Osborne, who has brought the power of her extraordinary work to millions of children served by First Book. We regularly hear from teachers about the joy of sharing her books.

"First Book currently reaches 6.5 million children annually – and our goal is to reach the estimated 27 million children in under-resourced communities by 2030. We need everyone's help to do that: by supporting us through funding, and by telling every adult who works or volunteers with children and families in low-income communities to join First Book!"  

The Nov. 17 reading celebration and virtual panel are free and available to all First Book members and the children they serve. Adults who work or volunteer in under-resourced communities are eligible to become members of First Book at www.firstbook.org/register. First Book membership is free and enables members to share their insights through First Book research studies, as well as access free and affordable books and educational resources, virtual and live-streamed learning experiences, and additional free resources developed with leading experts.

In addition to donating millions of books, Penguin Random House has funded gift credits that enable First Book educators to select books from the First Book Marketplace, First Book's nonprofit eCommerce site offering high-quality, professionally curated books for free and at the lowest prices possible.

For the past three years, Penguin Random House has also supported the right to read through its Banned Wagon tour, distributing free copies of books that are being banned or challenged. The tour included a QR code, and for every scan, Penguin Random House donated a book to a community in need through First Book.

About First Book
Education transforms lives. First Book is building a world where every child has access to a quality education. It works to remove barriers to education and level the playing field for kids in need. At the heart of its work are the 600,000+ members of the First Book Network, the largest online community of individual educators, professionals and volunteers dedicated to supporting children living in low-income communities across the country. This Network is the key to creating lasting change. Through its research arm, First Book Research & Insights, it conducts studies that aggregate the voices of the Network to identify challenges, needs, and solutions. To address their needs, it provides free and low-cost books, resources and access to leading experts through the First Book Marketplace, which uses aggregated buying power to support their work. Founded in Washington, D.C. in 1992 as a nonprofit social enterprise, First Book is dedicated to eliminating barriers to learning and inspiring young minds. Learn more at firstbook.org and visit the award-winning eCommerce website at fbmarketplace.org. 

About Penguin Random House
Penguin Random House creates books for everyone. We believe books change us, connect us, and carry us toward a better future. As the world's largest trade publisher, we reach readers in more than 175 countries with stories and ideas across the spectrum of viewpoints and experiences. Each year, we publish more than 14,000 new works spanning fiction and nonfiction for readers of all ages and in all print, digital, and audio formats. Penguin Random House is a proud home to the world's most influential voices, thinkers, and storytellers, including more than 80 Nobel Prize laureates, 140 U.S. Pulitzer Prizes, 20 National Book Awards, and 24 UK Booker Award winners. As fierce champions for free expression and expanding access to books, we celebrate the right to read, think, and learn. Every day we strive to build a more equitable, inclusive, and sustainable world. With businesses in more than 20 countries, Penguin Random House was formed in 2013 and has been solely owned by Bertelsmann since 2020. 

About Mary Pope Osborne
Mary Pope Osborne is the author of many award-winning children's books, including retellings of mythology and folklore, picture books, biographies, mysteries, young adult novels, and the New York Times #1 bestselling Magic Tree House Series. An international phenomenon, the series has sold over 194 million books worldwide and been translated into 39 languages. 

Mary has traveled extensively in the U.S. and abroad, visiting schools and speaking on issues related to children's literacy. In 2015, Mary formed the MTH Classroom Adventure Program, a free-of-charge extensive program for teachers to help bring the joy of reading into their classrooms. In collaboration with the nonprofit First Book, she has donated over a million books to children in need.

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SOURCE First Book