Throughout the month of March, our team directed volunteers to put aside any books that they thought would be appropriate for Women’s History Month. What we found truly delighted me, and I wanted to share with our community of blog readers and supporters. The books our volunteers curated ranged from picture books to chapter books, from stories of activists to artists to scientists, but each one carried the same message: women have always been here, doing extraordinary things.

Frederick Douglass once said, “Once you learn to read, you will forever be free.” It is a quote that, in so few words, has a lot on its mind, and remains a forever thought-provoking statement. Not just within the backdrop of Black History Month or past and present civil rights movements, but in a far broader context: children, how they are exposed to literature, and what they take away. Starting in 2016, the Baltimore Ravens partnered with the Maryland Book Bank and set out w

Often, when we celebrate Black History Month, we reflect on the past. We acknowledge that any societal progress for the rights of Black people stands on the shoulders of giants who have paved the way. When I first began writing this blog, I researched some of those giants to learn about some Black figures from Maryland who may not be so well-known. There’s Frances Ellen Watkins Harper , born in Baltimore in 1825 and the first African-American woman to publish a short story. W

As of 2019, more than 67 million people in the United States speak a language other than English at home. Spanish accounts for 62% of that group, making it the most commonly spoken non-English language in the country. Maryland reflects this national trend. According to recent data from the Migration Policy Institute, a substantial share of Maryland’s children (those between the ages of 5-17) speak Spanish at home. While many of them feel confident speaking English, over 35,0

Happy holidays from the Maryland Book Bank! This time of year always brings an opportunity for reflection, and lately I’ve been thinking about an important concept for our MBB team: fostering a literacy ecosystem.   When Kim Crout, our wonderful Program Director, first used that phrase, I wasn’t sure what she meant. A literacy ecosystem? What does that look like?   Before we can define a literacy ecosystem, it’s important to first understand that reading is a complicated skil

One of my favorite parts of working at the Book Bank is getting to see thousands of book covers per day. The books we see range in color, size, texture, and shape, and the illustrations are incredible.   The most classic children’s characters from picture books - Eric Carle’s very hungry caterpillar, Mo Willems’ Elephant and Piggie, and Dr. Seuss’s Cat in the Hat - are colorful, creative, and loveable. They’ve become so beloved because of the way these characters enhance the

As I round out my fifth week working at the MBB, something that has continuously stuck out to me as a core principle of the Book Bank is the idea of books as a fundamental right. This concept is something that Kim, our lovely Program Director, is a huge advocate for:   “Literacy is not a luxury. Books are a human right.  They are the building blocks of equity, empathy, and opportunity. Access to books should never depend on a family’s zip code or income. Every child deserves

Happy October, everyone! I hope your spooky season is off to a great start. I’m Grace, the new Program Coordinator at the Maryland Book...

My name is Mac Ferrone, a senior at Loyola University Maryland who will graduate in May. Looking back over the semester and my college...

Looking at the U.S. as a whole, “One in four adults…have a disability,” while fostering a proper, inclusive environment for all people...

Since its founding over 20 years ago, the Maryland Book Bank has placed over a million books into the hands of children and adults across...

While we don’t get to choose where or when we’re born, where we start in life plays a huge role in shaping our future—especially when it...

Whether loading up the Bookmobile to transport books to students or filling up shelves at our physical location, the Maryland Book Bank...

Baltimore is the “City that Reads.” That is, former Mayor Kurt Schmoke proclaimed it so in his 1987 inaugural address (The City That...

Through our efforts to organize and distribute donations to families and educators throughout Maryland, The Maryland Book Bank is not a...

Millions of books, written by a wide range of people, are released yearly. Likewise, the Maryland Book Bank recognizes that books written...

Some may take their proximity to books for granted–having casual and regular access to them physically or online. However, this reality...

My name is Isabel Volpe, and this fall semester, I have been working as a Sustainability Intern for the Maryland Book Bank. I am a senior...

Literacy is a blanket term for the ability to read, speak, and comprehend a language at a certain level. It is such an important topic...

What is Sustainability? Everyone is talking about it, but what does it mean? Sustainability is an approach that can be applied to...