Testimonials
Testimonials
Board of Directors
Board of Directors
Board of Directors
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Reading Ready Pittsburgh
supporting families to foster a love of reading
Reading Ready Pittsburgh believes in the power of family book sharing
to ensure all children are ready to thrive in kindergarten.
By increasing access to books and encouraging significant family engagement,
we work to guarantee that all families have the tools and resources they need
to support their children.
All children deserve full book shelves.
1,300+ children enrolled in Raising a Reader between 50 sites
Over 110,000 books redistributed
Over 15,000 brand new books gifted
800+ parents receive parenting facts and tips via text messages each month
14 free libraries built
7,800+ children in the Mon Valley and City of Pittsburgh receive a new book each month
Ranada's Story
Ranada was introduced to the importance of early reading through our "Raising a Reader" program. Listen as she shares her insights about the impacts it has made on her family.
Our Recent News
Puppet Show Number 2!
Our second annual puppet show went off without a hitch! We were so excited to have Emily Schubert and Rabbit Foot Puppetry back at B is for Books. Over 50 kids came through the door last Saturday, April 26, and everyone walked away with three free books and lots of smiles. Can't wait for the third annual show!
B is for Books celebrates its first birthday!
It may have been wet and rainy, but the B is for Books first birthday party last Saturday was an absolute blast! A total of 80 children walked away with a brand new copy of The Magician's Hat and 3 extra books of their choosing from the shelves. To top it off, each family received one of our new B is for Books tote bags, as well. Cake was eaten, magic was performed, and balloon animals were plentiful. Thank you all for coming out and making our first year around the sun such a magical time!
Helen Smith author visit
Children's book author Helen Smith visited B is for Books on February 4th to read her book My Hair Ain't Nappy to almost 40 parents and children! All children who joined for the day received a free, brand new copy of the book and got to participate in lots of fun activities. Thanks to all who helped make this day extra special.
DPIL now completely covers 15203, 15210, 15211, + 15227!
Thanks to the help of the Birmingham Foundation, all families of children under 5 that live in the area codes of 15203, 15210, 15211, and 15227 are now able to enroll their children in Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Click here to enroll! Each child under 5 will receive a free book in the mail every month until their fifth birthday.
Local Children's Authors Come Visit B is for Books
In September and October, Reading Ready Pittsburgh hosted local children's authors, Joy Givens and Karen Lynn Williams. Joy read a book inspired her son, The Unstoppable Jaime, and Karen Lynn Williams read Bear Helps the Forest (Maybe You Help, Too). Each event was accompanied by snacks, activities, and a book giveaway. Be on the lookout for more author vsits in the future!
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is now in Sto-Rox!
All families of children under 5 that live in the 15136 area code are now able to enroll their children in Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Click here to enroll! Each child under 5 will receive a free book in the mail every month until their fifth birthday.
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Dino Day at B is for Books
Dino Day at B is for Books came and went, and it was the best whirlwind of an afternoon ever! We served about 70 children (that we counted, at least). Fossils were studied, books were read, and dinosaurs were unearthed from little activity eggs. Everyone seemed to have a blast, and many books were taken home to keep for free. Thanks for joining us, friends. And a huge thanks to the Carnegie Museum of Natural History for coming out to help!
Paint Day at Heritage4Kids
The Reading Ready Pittsburgh crew along with PULSE (Pittsburgh Urban Leadership Service Experience) spent the afternoon painting letters, hopscotch, and other fun games on the playground of Heritage4Kids in Braddock, PA on July 10th. It was certainly a hot one but totally worth it. We know the kids will be so surprised when they see it soon!
Little Giveaway Library #14
We finally have a little library in McKeesport! Thanks to DaMarra Underwood in the Department of Children's Initiative, we were able to connect with a pastor of a local youth church and get our library in an area where plenty of kids are visiting. Check it out at The Youth Department Children of Israel, 329 9th St, McKeesport, PA 15132. Happy reading!
Blue Bag Events 2024
During the month of May, thirty of our Raising a Reader classrooms celebrated their success of completing the red bag rotation at Blue Bag Bashes! Working with the 7 libraries, we continued to build the classroom/library connection by holding storytimes and discussing all of the wonderful things children can do at libraries. Each child received their own "Blue Library Bag" filled with information about their local library and how to get a library card. The bag can be used when they carry books to and from the library.
Braddock Literacy Day 2024
The sun was shining and the kids were smiling at our annual Braddock Literacy Day event this past Saturday, June 1. The theme was music this year, so we brought in the beat and brought in the books for well over 50 children and their parents, guardians, siblings, and friends. You Be You, Inc. provided some super fun music workshops, both Grammy Sue and the AAMI Youth Jazz Band performed some wonderful songs for all in attendance, and, best of all, everyone got to walk away with at least one free book, a t-shirt, and a handful of other nice goodies. We hope to see you next year!
An Afternoon of Puppetry
This past Saturday, April 20, 2024, Reading Ready Pittsburgh hosted two puppet shows for children at our free bookstore, B is for Books. We are not exaggerating when we say it was INCREDIBLE!! Thank you to the insanely talented Emily Schubert and Abby Palen for coming and performing to 60+ children and their families. Everyone big and small walked away with lots of smiles, tons of free books, and the cutest finger puppets. Hope to see some new and returning faces next time!
B is for Books
Family Open House
February 17th was a big day over here at B is for Books, Reading Ready Pittsburgh's free bookstore for children. About 100 children came to our open house with their families and walked away with three free books! There were snacks, crafts, stories, and just a great amount of revelry and smiles on all the faces. If you haven't had a chance to come visit us, please do soon! Click here for more information about the bookstore.
A Free Bookstore
for Children!
Reading Ready Pittsburgh will be opening a free bookstore for children on February 1st at 222 East 8th Avenue in Homestead, PA. Its name is B is for Books. This project has been long in the making, and we are just so excited to share the news with you here! Please visit the bookstore's page under the "What We Do" tab at the top of this website. There you will find our policies, hours, and events happening at the store. See you soon and see you there!
