Proof Points: Research backs book giveaways

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By Jill Barshay

I’ve often wondered whether the millions of free books that get sent to children every year in book giveaway programs are worth the cost. Do they actually get to the low-income families whom they’re meant to help? Are parents taking the time to read them and developing a habit of reading to their children? A new meta-analysis concludes that these programs are a lot more effective in building early childhood literacy than we might expect.

An analysis of 44 studies -- “Do Book Giveaway Programs Promote the Home Literacy Environment and Children’s Literacy-Related Behavior and Skills?”-- was published in the journal Review of Educational Research in May 2020.

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Key Findings

Three major book giveaway programs all tended to work, as measured by how much parents read to children and by how much kids’ early literacy skills improved.
But the program that used healthcare professionals to give out the books and personally tell parents to read them achieved the largest literacy gains.

The number of free books didn’t matter. Programs that gave away just a few had the same results as a program that mailed 60 books to each child.

Teacher Takeaway

This compilation of research supports the theory that an age-appropriate book or two laying around the living room can be an effective nudge for a parent to read to a young child.
Interaction with parents by healthcare providers or educators can make book giveaway programs more effective, but also more expensive.

Lit Review

Mendelsohn AL, Cates CB, Weisleder A, et al. Reading Aloud, Play, and Social-Emotional Development. Pediatrics. 2018;141(5):e20173393. doi:10.1542/peds.2017-3393
Logan, Jessica A. R. PhD*; Justice, Laura M. PhD*; Yumuş, Melike PhD†; Chaparro-Moreno, Leydi Johana* When Children Are Not Read to at Home, Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics: March 20, 2019 - Volume Publish Ahead of Print - Issue - doi: 10.1097/DBP.0000000000000657
de Bondt, M., Willenberg, I. A., & Bus, A. G. (2020). Do Book Giveaway Programs Promote the Home Literacy Environment and Children’s Literacy-Related Behavior and Skills? Review of Educational Research, 90(3), 349–375. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654320922140
Van Steensel, R., McElvany, N., Kurvers, J., Herppich, S. (2011). How effective are family literacy programs? Results of a meta-analysis. Review of Educational Research, 81(1), 69–96. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654310388819