Home Page - The Bridge of Books Foundation

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Mission Statement
The Bridge of Books Foundation is dedicated to bringing the world and all its possibilities to at-risk children through books.

What We Do
Good night, Moon! The Bridge of Books Foundation provides new and used books directly to children and children's organizations. BoB gets books into the hands of children who need them the most, yet have the least access to books. BoB gives books to foster family agencies, homeless shelters, Head Start programs, underfunded schools and after-school programs, neighborhood centers, boys and girls clubs, and directly to children at food pantries.

BoB provides a wide range of books that meet the needs of children from preschool through high school. BoB works with the benefiting organizations to determine each organization's specific needs. BoB's library includes culturally and ethnically diverse books to meet the needs of today's children. There is no cost to the benefiting organization or the children and the books are theirs to keep.

Many low-income families are constantly making difficult choices between healthcare, food and rent. Where possibly can children's books rank in such a family's budget? Certainly, as an unaffordable luxury. Yet the literacy skills garnered from exposure to books is vital to a child's future successes and economic stability.

"Thank you for all the books. I am enjoying having them….Now our bookshelf is full of the books you gave us. Some of the books I have read are very interesting. I'll take very good care of them. I hope to read all of them."
Your friend, Victoria

The ability to read, and read well, has a direct correlation to future life successes. More than 20% of adults in the United States read at or below a fifth grade level. This is far below the level needed to earn a living wage. ⁽¹⁾ Forty-three percent of people with the lowest literacy skills live in poverty and 70% of those with the lowest literacy skills have no job. ⁽²⁾ Learning to read and exposure to books early in life is critical. The development of early literacy skills through early experiences with books and stories is directly linked to a child's success in learning to read. ⁽³⁾ Development of reading skills is a continuous process that begins early in life and depends heavily on environmental influences . ⁽⁴⁾

1. Statistic from the National Institute for Literacy.
2.Ibid. Snow, C.E. & Ninio, A. (1988) "The Contacts of Literacy: What Children Learn from Learning to Read Books," in W.H. Teale & E. Sulzby (ed.) 3. Emergent Literacy: Writing and Reading, Norwood (as cited in Reach Out and Read Program Manual).
4. Schickendanz, J.A. (1986) More Than ABC's: The Early Stages of Reading and Writing, National Association for the Education of Young Children, Washington, D.C.