Blog, Press, and News!

It was a chilly winter day in 2011. I was feeling a bit nervous, not really sure what I was doing. I entered the waiting room of the Inter-Faith Council for Social Service in Carrboro, North Carolina, lugging a bookshelf and grocery bags full of donated children’s books.

Events and storytimes offer a special opportunity to connect with our community, bring new families into the space, and infuse reading with a sense of joy and celebration. But most importantly, Book Harvest storytimes don’t end on the last page; they extend into the home. Every attending family and child gets to keep a copy of the featured story to read again and again, building their home libraries with meaningful and memorable titles.

On March 26th, Book Harvest was honored to receive the 2026 James B. Hunt, Jr. Celebrate Literacy Award from the North Carolina Reading Association (NCRA). The award recognizes local North Carolina reading councils, organizations, or individuals for service in promoting literacy among children and adults and in developing reading and writing communities.

We are thrilled to share that Book Harvest is endorsing the Open Books, Open Doors Act, introduced yesterday by Senator Andy Kim (NJ) who believes, as we do, that every child deserves a home library brimming with opportunity and possibility.

One year ago, we highlighted our Books in a Box program in the blog post 200 Kids and Counting: Help Us Reach More Families! Today, we are excited to report that in the following year, between February 2025 and January 2026, the program has served 195 more children and 135 incarcerated parents across North Carolina—and we are just getting started.

Each year, beginning on the last Sunday in February, Black Children’s Book Week inspires bookstores, libraries, literacy organizations, and readers of all ages to amplify children’s stories with Black representation. At Book Harvest, celebrating Black Children’s Book Week comes second-nature; every day, we witness firsthand how books provide windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors for young readers .

Seven Years of Book Drives: The Birthday Tradition That Keeps on Giving Hendrix and his family have done it again!  If you’ve been a part of the Book Harvest community for a while, you’re probably familiar with Hendrix’s annual birthday book drive: every year since his first birthday, Hendrix and his family have run a community book drive for Dream Big. That first book drive was in 2020, making this year their seventh annual   book drive ! Hendrix also turned seven this year,

Book Harvest’s Books for K Expands to Houston: A Partnership Empowering Parents and Young Readers Book Harvest’s Books for K program has landed in Houston, Texas! This past November, 50 children at Blackshear Elementary each chose 10 brand new books to take home and keep forever, helping them transition through winter break and into the second half of their Kindergarten year. What is Books for K? Book Harvest’s Books for K program welcomes kindergarten students to school with

At Book Harvest, our work is grounded in a simple truth: families are the heart of early learning. When we honor the cultural practices, traditions, and strengths that families bring, engagement deepens, leading to stronger relationships and richer learning outcomes.

After reviewing the numbers from Dream Big (thank you to our data collection volunteers!), we recorded a total of 122 book drives throughout December and January, easily surpassing our goal of 100. THANK YOU!

Monday was a day to remember! At Book Harvest's 15th Annual Dream Big Book Drive & Community Celebration, our incredible community brought in 22,861 books in just 3 hours!

Dream Big is Book Harvest’s signature community book drive and celebration, bringing families together around stories, choice, and the simple magic of growing up surrounded by books. It’s a day designed for families and volunteers, powered by generosity, and rooted in the belief that every child deserves an abundant home library.

At Book Harvest, we believe something both simple and profound: every child deserves the chance to grow up surrounded by books, and every family deserves the support to build joyful early reading routines from birth. Literacy isn’t a luxury — it is foundational to development, opportunity, and lifelong flourishing.

As the year winds down, there’s a certain feeling in the air—a pause between what’s been and what’s coming next. It’s a season for reflection, for togetherness, and for gratitude. At Book Harvest, it’s also a moment to look back on a year filled with stories, smiles, and thousands of books finding their way into children’s homes.

Ready to make a big impact with a simple, community-powered action? Dream Big is Book Harvest’s annual children’s book drive, and it’s easy to take part!

Book Harvest isn't Book Harvest without our foundation of regular volunteers, and there's no better way to say thank you than a party! Last Friday, we celebrated their hard work this year with our annual holiday celebration and first-ever wreath-making workshop.

In the first three years of life, babies’ brains form more than one million neural connections every second. What fuels that growth? Nurturing adults. Responsive interactions. And access to books.

Today and every day, we echo Mayra's gratitude: thank YOU for helping us spread the joy that is book abundance! We are deeply thankful for your steadfast support—the driving force behind our work.

Every day, magic appears in the hands of a child who opens a book; in that instant, a door opens to imagination, to understanding, to hope.

Last Wednesday, Book Harvest staff were invited to visit the Haliwa-Saponi Tribal School for a very special day of celebration: not only to honor Native American Heritage Month, but also to unveil the school's newly replenished library.