We believe that every child in Berkeley, CA should have an excellent home library from birth. That’s why we’ve affiliated with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to offer free home delivery of one hand-selected book every month from birth to age five.
Research from around the world clearly shows that early literacy affects children's cognitive development, academic success, and even their life expectancy. Improving literacy doesn't have to be complex. The first step is getting books into children's hands. All children. That's why we founded The Berkeley Baby Book Project.
One book, hand-delivered and personally addressed for free to your child, every month from birth to age five. Available to any child under age 5 living in Berkeley, CA.
Meet and play with other book-loving children from Berkeley. Enjoy a wide variety of hands-on activities, story reading, and snacks.
Seeing yourself in the books you read is powerful, and necessary. We work with local organizations to provide free multicultural books for under-represented communities.
“We love discovering new authors and books. Getting a book in the mail is a very exciting treat for my toddler. We look forward to the monthly delivery and love that our friends are all reading the same book. It’s like a toddler book club!”
It's tempting to sign up as many children as we can as quickly as we can. But we plan to help Berkeley's children build great personal libraries for generations. In order to succeed sustainably, we have to start small and expand with success. The community response so far has been outstandingly positive, and we're excited for the road ahead.
Here's what we've accomplished to date:
Since the creation of The BBBP, over 200 children have aged out of the Imagination Library program.
Our numbers are growing steadily by word of mouth, and our goal is to serve the entire community.
Since we began in 2015, we’ve delivered over 10,000 books directly into the hands of children.
There are plenty of ways to help get books in the hands of Berkeley's children. If you're a parent, register your child for Imagination Library or join us for a Baby Book Club. If you've got skills you're willing to lend, volunteer with us. If you'd like to support our mission, make a donation or see how else you can help us grow.
One hand-selected book, delivered to any child age 0–4 living in Berkeley. All you have to do is sign up. We take care of the rest.
Meet and engage with other book-loving parents and children from Berkeley. Enjoy complementary refreshments and hands-on activities led by our team of volunteers.
Help us improve The BBBP by providing much-needed assistance with book mailing, Baby Book Club activities, event photography and more.
