USA Today features "First Book"

Please check out the Snapshot feature about First Book in today's USA Today. First Book is highlighted as part of USA Today's Salute to the Nation's Charities in celebration of the newpaper's 25th anniversary.First Book First Book is a leading children’s literacy organization committed to a simple mission: giving children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. Since 1992, First Book has placed more than 50 million books into the hands of children in need by supplying a steady stream of brand new books to more than 20,000 local literacy programs serving disadvantaged communities.

I read the article and was very pleased to have First Book highlighted by this national paper. Reading is so important to me and to anyone who wants to have a living wage. Many children go into school with never having a book read to them, without having any books in their homes and not even knowing how to hold a book.

Then I read the comments that readers had written about the charity. Some of which were:

"I didn't know schools and libraries didn't have books. Sorry, I guess you were talking about books written in Spanish. How many years is it going to take for people to stop having kids they can't afford. I'm not there to enjoy the fun why should I have to pay the bills. "

"Books and EVERYTHING ELSE should be provided for LEGAL CITIZENS OF THE U.S. ONLY."

I was very upset by this type of comment. Since I first saw the article many other people have commented in a positive vain. Low income children need above all....education and the ability to read. If giving them a book in english or spanish helps them to want to read...more power to First Book.