About us

Our Mission

We give books to children!

We give new and nearly new books to children from birth to twelve years of age, to support literacy and foster a love of reading at home.

Our Vision

We create welcoming places and opportunities for children to have books of their own, for free, in order to improve their literacy skills, nurture their imaginations, and bring a love of reading to their homes.

Shared Values

• Book Ownership

We believe that choosing a book to keep develops a child’s personal choice, creates pride in book ownership, ensures accessibility of materials, and helps develop a love of reading. We acknowledge that families are more likely to read and reread books when they are continuously available in the home. Increased exposure to books improves early literacy skills, school readiness, and academic performance .

• Equity

We are mindful of the additional barriers to success that children face when living in poverty. All children deserve to have quality, age appropriate reading materials accessible to them no matter their situation. We select our community partnerships, and our locations, in order to improve equity of access to books, and improve literacy and school readiness, among Ottawa families most in need.

• Diversity

We recognize the diversity gap in children’s publishing and strive to provide books that reflect our communities. We acknowledge that children feel valued and can imagine their own futures when they read about characters who look like them, or have a similar background in the books they read. Representation is important at all ages, and in all genres of books.

• Child Focused

We are dedicated to putting children first. We are accepting of everyone no matter their perspectives or life situations. We ensure that all services are child-led, including book selection and literacy activities.

• Literacy

We believe that every child should have equal opportunities to be successful in life. Literacy is a clear indicator of success. Having books available to read, re-read, and enjoy in the home supports developing literacy skills. We also believe in supporting parents and caregivers in developing their children’s literacy skills.

• Accountability

We operate in a fiscally responsible manner to meet the needs of our clients and partners with integrity, efficiency, and effectiveness.

• Social and Emotional Development Advocate

We believe that it is every child’s right to grow up in a healthy social environment. Our services are built on a responsive presence with children, using a ‘serve and return’ model of communication and care.

• Building Relationships (In and with the community)

We work together with other organizations whose goals are aligned with ours. We build relationships with partners who are trusted co-creators in their communities, and who serve families from similar demographics to those we wish to reach. In so doing, we avoid overlapping services and are able to reach people where they live.