Skip Navigation
We use cookies to offer you a better browsing experience, provide ads, analyze site traffic, and personalize content. If you continue to use this site, you consent to our use of cookies.
young girl in the library reading a copy of The Night Before Pride

create & celebrate a nation of diverse readers

Let's read and grow together with 12 months of recommended books, authors, and teaching resources that promote diversity and inclusion.
Marley Dias
“Diverse stories provide kids with different perspectives and help them see how others think and feel. Put reading to kids on your calendar all year round. Take NEA's Read Across America Diverse Books Challenge and help kids of all ages discover their own voices as they learn from the stories of others.”
Quote by: Marley Dias, Read Across America Ambassador 2021-23, and Founder, #1000BlackGirlBooks

Ready, Set...Read!

Celebrate the joy of reading this month with these featured articles and resources.
screenshot of video of author Laekan Zea Kemp

Laekan Zea Kemp's Read Across America Greetings

A Crown for Corina author has a message on the power of having a diverse bookshelf and how her book can help readers take pride in their culture and traditions.
Shining Star book cover with Anna May Wong

Diverse Books with Trailblazing Women

In these selected titles you’ll find authors, artists and architects, rulers and rebels, athletes and astronauts, musicians, mothers of invention and many, many more famous and influential women.
Set of 5 read across america color-in bookmarks

Planning a Reading Event this Month?

Download our “color me” bookmarks, certificates of participation, social media graphics to share, and more from our promotional toolkit.
Illustration of 5 kids and one dog sailing through the air on a large open book

The Magic Tree House Series Inspires Curiosity at Any Age

Educators share tips for using Mary Pope Osborne's classic children's series in their classrooms.
Middle Grade books ad

New Stories to Share in Your Classroom!

Sponsored Content
Discover new stories from favorite authors and debut authors that will resonate with your students.

NEA strives to make sure that every student has access to age-appropriate books that show they are reflected and respected, and opposes efforts to limit students’ access to such books. Nevertheless, NEA urges educators to comply with state and local laws and policies that may limit what books they may teach and recommend to their students. 

Chapter Books for Early Readers

Magic Treehouse books covers for Twister on Tuesday and Fact Tracker: Twisters and Other Terrible Storms

Create enthusiastic readers with Magic Tree House (MTH) early chapter book choices for beginning independent readers that are fun, accessible, and help improve comprehension and the habit of reading.

  • Magic Tree House Book #23: Twister on Tuesday 

    Nonfiction: Magic Tree House Fact Tracker: Twisters and Other Terrible Storms 

Ready to use these MTH books and more in your classroom? Visit MTHClassroomAdventures.org for downloadable MTH resources or head to www.MagicTreeHouse.com. Eligible educators can join FirstBook's Network to bring new books and resources to the classroom.

Become a FirstBook Member

Hear from Read Across America Authors

We've interviewed several authors on our School Me podcast. Donna Barba Higuera discusses El Cucuy is Scared, Too! and why she is so passionate about writing books that feature multiracial children, families, and identities. Wendy Shang, author of The Secret Battle of Evan Pao talks about why representation matters. Andrea Davis Pinkney, author of Loretta Little Looks Back: Three Voices Go Tell It, discusses the power of storytelling. And Duncan Tonatiuh, author of A Land of Books: Dreams of Young Mexihcah Word Painters, makes the case for the freedom to read.

Section with embed

Section with embed

Section with embed

Black NEA RAA logo

About Read Across America

What is NEA's Read Across America? Find answers to your frequently asked questions about the National Education Association's year-round celebration of diverse books and meet the people behind it.
A woman and her son use a laptop together

Join Our Community of Readers

Are you a teacher, librarian, educator, author, or devoted book worm? Join the Read Across America Facebook group to share resources, ideas, and experiences as we celebrate a nation of diverse readers.
National Education Association

Great public schools for every student

The National Education Association (NEA), the nation's largest professional employee organization, is committed to advancing the cause of public education. NEA's 3 million members work at every level of education—from pre-school to university graduate programs. NEA has affiliate organizations in every state and in more than 14,000 communities across the United States.