Access to Books for Children

MISSION: Our mission is to empower children and those working with children by providing access to books, fostering a love for reading, and promoting literacy in underserved communities.

Access to Books for Children puts free books into the hands of children who need them most. We collect gently used and new books — board books, picture books, early readers, chapter books, and nonfiction — sort them by age and reading level, and give them away at no cost to teachers, schools, nonprofits, and the families they serve.

ABC was founded by Kim Johnson in 2017 out of a passion to provide access to books and support reading for children. 

ABC has distributed over 150,000 children’s books in the following ways:

• School and community events. We bring books directly to elementary schools, family nights, and community gatherings, where children choose their own titles to take home and keep.
• Special events. We partner with other organizations on seasonal and one-time events throughout the year, from holiday giving programs to spring egg hunts and summer festivals.
• End-of-year and summer reading. As the school year closes, we supply books so children have something of their own to read over the summer and return to the classroom in the fall without losing ground.
• Books for teachers. Teachers at every stage of their career come to us to build and refresh their classroom libraries — at no cost, and with no limit on how often they return.
• Local universities. Education majors at local universities receive books to begin building the classroom libraries they will carry into their first teaching jobs.
• Nonprofit partners. Food shelves, family shelters, early childhood centers, and community organizations receive books to pass along to the families they serve.
• International Distributions. ABC has partnered with organizations working with children to promote English.