Bushel & Peck Books: Combating Illiteracy with a Book-for-Book Promise

Every year, hundreds of children's publishers produce millions of wonderful books for kids. But here's the problem. Most people in the world can't afford them. This is what Bushel and Peck Books are setting out to solve.

Consider these facts:

• In low-income neighbourhoods, there's an average of just 1 book for every 300 kids.
• 1-in-10 adults are still illiterate, even in the United States.
• Lack of books in the home has been linked with lower reading levels and dropping out of school.

And the consequences of this are immense.

Consider this quote from a 2010 study (Books and schooling in 27 nations. Research in Social Stratification and Mobility.)

"Children, growing up in homes with many books, get 3 years more schooling than children from bookless homes, independent of their parents’ education, occupation, and class.

Children who have access to books is as great an advantage as having university educated, rather than unschooled, parents. It has twice the advantage of having a professional, rather than an unskilled, father. It holds equally in rich nations and in poor."

Or, to put it another way, increasing the availability of books changes the future for millions of children.

Bushel & Peck Books' co-founder, David Miles, has worked in book publishing for several years. He loves making beautiful, inspiring books, but it bothered him that so many people couldn't afford what his company was creating.

So, when he and his wife, Stephanie, decided to launch their own publishing house, they built in the Book-for-Book Promise, for every book they sell, they donate a book to kids in need - one for one. Their goal is to donate 1,000,000 books to kids in need by 2028.

David and Stephanie are always looking for talented authors and illustrators to help create incredible art and stories that will inspire kids the world over. If that's you, you can email them here.