Free Books Where Families Already Go

BookGive makes it easier for families to read together at home by donating free books to places and agencies where families already go.

When it comes to literacy, families are not the problem. Although it’s easy to blame parents, and especially to scapegoat low-income parents, recent research claims the physical proximity to books is a strong indication of whether parents of any income level can read to their children at home.

“Read to your child! Early and often!”

Parents hear this important message again and again from teachers, coaches, librarians, social media, other parents…everywhere. But this advice assumes that families have equal access to books, if not through bookstores, then certainly through local libraries. If everyone has equal access to books, then any deficiencies in the frequency and quality of book reading must be the parents’ fault, right?

Not fair! And also not true.

Susan B. Neuman and Jillian J. Knapczyk studied neighborhoods in three major cities and noted a strikingly different scenario. They concluded, “accessibility remains a significant impediment to being able to read aloud to children.” Their research points to “structural inequalities rather than the individual or family characteristics that result in academic gaps between communities.”

Families of all kinds, here in Denver too, are committed to reading at home. However, there are structural inequalities – differences in the structure of neighborhoods, including proximity to free books—that make it harder for some families to bring books home to read together.

That’s where BookGive comes in. BookGive adds another access point for books in metro Denver. BookGive is a place where everyone can come get free books.

But BookGive is located in North Denver. Not everyone can get to the BookGive Service Station. Then what?

BookGive brings free books into the community—to homeless shelters, safe houses, public housing, and clothing and food pick-up centers—to places where neighbors are already receiving other services for their families. Neuman and Knapczyk concluded that proximity, making free books available where people are at, has a huge impact on whether families can read at home.

We agree, and we’ve seen the impact of bringing books out to our nonprofit partners. BookGive is 100% committed to getting free books to all families who wish to read aloud to their children.

It’s already a big job being a parent. No parent needs a guilt trip about how much they are reading at home. Every parent needs all the help they can get. BookGive makes it easier for families to read together at home. Free books where families are at. One less thing for parents to worry about.