Books for STL Kids

NEWS & UPDATES

The Largest Book Party returns for 2026!

We are so pleased to host two of our signature annual book distribution event, The Largest Book Party in St. Louis again this September! Each kid will enjoy a morning of story time, snacks, and picking out new books to take home. Invites have already been sent via email, and we look forward to seeing the kids and volunteers for two fun mornings! The Largest Book Party: Florissant We will be holding a Largest Book Party at the James J. Eagan Center in September. We'll be updat

1 day ago

6th Annual Trivia Night & Silent Auction!

Help us place more books in the hands of kids who need them most by joining us for our in-person Trivia Night and Silent Auction. Gather your friends, family or co-workers for a trivia night! Trivia rounds will include a variety of themes like literary, pop culture, multimedia and more. Every table purchase brings over 65 new books to local children. Silent Auction coming at the end of February! Date : Friday, March 6, 2026 Time : Doors open at 6:30pm / Trivia begins at 7:00p

Dec 27, 2025

The Largest Book Party 2025 - Recap!

In 2025, once again, we were so pleased to host two of our signature annual book distribution event, The Largest Book Party in St. Louis! We successfully brought this party to two locations to reach more kids across St. Louis. The Largest Book Party: Downtown At The Largest Book Party in St. Louis: Downtown, we distributed 1,600 new books directly to kids! Over 250 children attended for a morning of story time, snacks, and picking out their new books to take home. The kids

Oct 13, 2025

GET TO KNOW US

Our Vision

Expanding children's literacy through book ownership.

Mission Statement

To increase access to new books for children of under-resourced families, inspiring their love of reading.

About Us

We are a 100% volunteer-run organization that reaches children through existing preschool and after-school programs, thus assisting these organizations in tackling illiteracy by providing new books to the children they serve. All books that are distributed by Books for STL Kids are brand new and are provided at no cost.

Locally, Books for STL Kids has given away more than 250,000 new books to children in the greater St. Louis area.

How We Do It

We provide only new books to children in two unique ways:

We provide book grants to qualifying organizations that serve low-income children in the Greater St. Louis area. These recipient groups are awarded book credits to purchase books on the First Book Marketplace (www.fbmarketplace.org) at 50-90% off retail prices. The groups are able to select the titles and quantities that best fit the children they serve. These books are then shipped directly to the organization. All books given go home with the children so they can start a library of their own at home.

We provide books directly to children at various community events throughout the year, including our signature project, The Largest Book Party in St. Louis.

Our next grant cycle

Our Winter 2025 Grant Cycle has closed. Our next application deadline is June 30, 2026. See our Grants page for more information.