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Book Harvest and Durham Public Schools kicked off a historic month for Books for K, marking the first time the program will reach every kindergartner across all 32 DPS elementary schools.

I wanted to be like Dolly Parton when I was a girl growing up in Georgia in the 1970s. The problem was that I was almost nothing like her.

Summer reading partnership provides books for Native children

Where Families Gather, Books Belong: Dvadnie’s Journey with Book Harvest At Book Harvest, we believe every child deserves the magic of stories, and our mission is as simple as it is powerful: to make sure every child has an abundance of books. Through our programs, we put high-quality books directly into the hands of students at school and deliver them straight to families’ homes. Our goal is to help build home libraries children can cherish for years to come. Yet, there are

On Saturday, July 18, more than 3,500 neighbors filled Durham Central Park for our annual Summer Block Party — and in just three hours, children harvested 15,363 books to take home and keep forever.

We are demonstrating, over and over again, what becomes possible when we lead with abundance instead of scarcity, with hope instead of fear.

Book Harvest’s 6th annual Summer Block Party is a free community-wide event celebrating summer and books. The afternoon will include family activities and entertainment, highlighted by an abundance of free children’s books for every child—from infants to high schoolers—to take home and keep forever (there will be 15,000 books to choose from this year!)

By the time a North Carolina toddler turns 2, there’s a 40% chance they already have their own tablet. A 2025 report from Common Sense Media found that screen time at home for young children now averages about two and a half hours a day, and a growing share of it is spent on short-form video — TikTok, YouTube Shorts, the kind of clips built to be watched once and swiped past. It’s a snapshot of what childhood looks like right now, nationally.

Partnership and advocacy for children comes in different forms. The following three experiences with early childhood and literacy champions on the Hill continue to inspire me.

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.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) introduced the Open Books, Open Doors Act to tackle book deserts, and break down barriers to the opportunity and promise of reading for millions of children in the United States. This comprehensive legislation would work to expand equitable access to books in every corner of the country, and close literacy gaps – so every child is positioned for long-term success in school, the workforce, and life.

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.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Thousands of families in North Carolina’s most economically distressed counties will soon have more access to books and literacy supports through $10 million in two new grants from The Leon Levine Foundation.

WASHINGTON, DC (February 3, 2026) — Today, Congresswoman Valerie Foushee (NC-04) and Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12) introduced the Empowering Young Readers Act of 2026, legislation to create a pilot program that awards grants to nonprofit organizations supporting early childhood literacy programs.

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.

Book Harvest proudly celebrated its 100th Book Hub on Friday, August 22, at Leigh Farm Park in Durham.

Smiles, Selfies, and Shipments: How Riley Life Delivers More Than Just Books At Book Harvest, we know that getting thousands of books...

Book Harvest’s 5th Annual Summer Block Party welcomed more than 3,000 attendees!

Last week, I had the absolute privilege of joining Book Harvest’s June Neese on a journey to four eastern North Carolina towns to deliver box after box of children’s books to eager county workers.