Eight Children’s Book Companies that Donate to Social Causes

Although we don’t recognize it as often as we should, reading is a gift. Many children around the world either don’t know how to read, or don’t have access to a lot of children’s books. That means that they don’t get to have parents reading them bedtime stories and they can’t stay up at night to read with a flashlight under the bed covers. They don’t get to experience princes or princesses felling fire-breathing dragons with one swoop of their swords, and they don’t get to escape into the pages of moonlit escapades in boarding schools or talking animals that break their friends out of the zoo. That’s not fair and companies around the world are beginning to realize this. 

So here is a list of our favourite book companies that donate to social causes - some of which help children in their reading endeavors, and some of which give back to the world in other ways when you buy a book!

1. Hachette 

Hachette has partnered with Neighbourly to donate around 12,000 books to communities during lockdown. This is coupled with their Children’s Book Project that gives books to schools in need, and allows teachers to spend vital time engaging with children and parents during these tough times. Additionally, Hachette donates around 100,000 books directly to library systems annually, and gives away signed copies for charity fundraisers. 

2. Walker Books

Walker, too, has a long history of supporting children’s charities. Their chosen association is Book Aid International, which is an organization that donates books to help foster literacy and development in sub-Saharan Africa. They also donate to neighboring schools and host raffles for prizes. Walker’s staff has set up a ‘Give As You Earn’ scheme, to give back to its community as well. 

3. Manimal Tales

For every book you buy from them, Manimal Tales donates a part of the proceeds to a non-profit called Room to Read. The non-profit is focused on eradicating illiteracy and furthering gender equality through a special emphasis on girls’ education. It has helped over twenty million children in Asia and Africa by collaborating on childrens’ reading habits with local governments, schools and communities. 

4. Harper Collins

Harper Collins contributes to the News Corp Philanthropy Partner program, which allows it to play an integral role in advancing the causes of literacy, innovation in K-12 education and Youth Empowerment. Like Hachette, it donates tens of thousands of books to organizations like the First Book, Housing Works, Project Cicero and Volunteers of America. 

5. Scholastic

Scholastic hosts The Scholastic Book Fairs ‘All for Books’ program annually where it matches donations made by Book Fairs attendees  and donates the sum to a series of charities including the Kids In Need Foundation, Reader to Reader, Inc., and the National Center for Families Learning. It also has a Pajama Program through which it provides new books and new pajamas to children in need in adoption centres.

6. Penguin Random House 

This publishing house has donated over one million of its children’s books to First Book in the Obama family’s name. Now, as a part of the Hope Love Give campaign, it plans to match every three dollars donated with two books, so that they can reach over one million children by the end of the year.

7. Librio

Librio is a personalized children’s book company that also believes in sharing the joy of reading and the ‘transformative power’ of books with children who don’t have easy access to books. Like Manimal Tales, Librio also partners with Room to Read through their ‘More than a book program’. For every book you buy, Librio donates one through Room to Read.

8.  I See Me!

Another children’s book company that makes personalized children’s books, I See Me! also donates to charities, including the Children’s Cancer Research Fund, Room to Read and Read Aloud 15 MINUTES. The Cancer Research Fund is devoted to researching the prevention, diagnosis,  treatment and cure of childhood cancers and other blood related disorders. Apart from Room to Read, I See Me! partners with Read Aloud 15 MINUTES. They believe that reading aloud to infants and toddlers from birth for 15 minutes a day helps them be more prepared to learn in kindergarten and gives them literacy skills they need to succeed in school.

Have we missed any of your favourite companies or authors? Let us know who and what they do in the comments below!