The AFT and First Book are celebrating a major milestone in our 13 yearlong joint partnership – distributing more than 10 million free books to students, families and educators serving in Title I schools and programs; public employees and health care professionals serving communities in need across the country.  

Since 2011, the AFT and First Book have worked together to bring books to those who need them the most and yet can least afford them.  Through small book giveaways for classrooms all the way up to large family literacy festivals with 40,000+ books going to hundreds of families, educators and students – we are spreading the joy of reading and helping to create a better life for all.

To celebrate, the AFT hosted five events across the country on May 11, 2024 in New York City, Florida, Illinois, Ohio and Texas giving out a total of 150,000+ books on that day alone, including culturally diverse titles, bilingual Spanish-English books, STEM and social emotional learning books.