This summer, the National Book Foundation’s Book Rich Environments (BRE) program celebrates a significant milestone: it has surpassed the two million mark for free books distributed to young people and families in public housing communities across the United States.
“We are committed to reaching readers in every corner of the country, especially those who often experience the greatest barriers to access,” Ruth Dickey, executive director of the National Book Foundation, said in a statement. “From rural communities in Gregory, Tex., and the Navajo Nation across Arizona and New Mexico to some of the country’s largest metropolitan areas, including Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, and New York City, we work alongside our national and local partners to provide readers of all ages with brand-new books.”
Launched in 2017, BRE aims to transform areas lacking access to literary resources, which are often called "book deserts," into communities with abundant culturally diverse books. The initiative is run in partnership with such government agencies and national nonprofits as the U.S. Departments of Education and Housing and Urban Development, the Urban Libraries Council, and the National Center for Families Learning.
This year, BRE secured nearly 350,000 books for distribution, donated by publishing partners including Candlewick Press, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishers, Penguin Random House, Scholastic, Simon & Schuster, and Sourcebooks, with Bloomsbury Publishing and W. W. Norton & Company also signing on to the initiative this year.
“Penguin Random House has supported the Book Rich Environments program since 2017, donating over 630,000 books to children and families in public housing communities across the country,” said Claire von Schilling, EVP and director of corporate communications and social responsibility at Penguin Random House, in a statement. “We are committed to continuing this support through our ongoing partnership with the National Book Foundation to get more books into the hands of young readers everywhere.”
Titles in both English and Spanish for readers up to 18 years of age are distributed each year, with bilingual titles in languages such as Anishinaabemowin, Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Somali, and others to be made available for the first time this year. In addition to book donations, BRE has secured a grant from the nonprofit organization First Book, which will help the program distribute more books this summer.
The initiative also engages families in a number of activities related to literacy, including author events, Bookmobile outreach, library card sign-ups, STEAM enrichment programs, and school-readiness programs. BRE counts 60 participating communities, both urban and rural, across 33 states.
“We believe that young people and families deserve access to excellent books that reflect the diversity of the U.S. literary landscape,” Dickey said. “Through Book Rich Environments, young people across the country—many of whom live in areas with limited access to literary resources—are able to build their own home libraries and develop a lifelong love of reading.”
