An animation of children's books being stacked upon one another

Our Impact

A smiling child read a book on the floor of the library.

864,377+ students

When children feel safe, they learn better. In public school libraries, all children have an organic opportunity to find diverse books.

20,656 LGBTQ+ books

Open Books donates sets of LGBTQ+ affirming books to elementary and middle school libraries, intervening early to help set the foundation for self-acceptance.

A volunteer placing a note from Open Books into a donated children's book

1,291 schools

Open Books has a district down approach, magnifying impact by ensuring books reach all elementary or middle school libraries in the district.

Districts Reached

Students Schools Books

Lives Touched

These books, and books like them, are needed to help kids understand the full array of being human in all its beauty and complexity. They will help kids understand themselves and others better.

LGBTQ+ Community Liaison, Hopkins School District, Minneapolis, MN

After reading ‘PRIDE,’ students made their own personal pride flags and wrote affirming messages on them. Reading this story led to a valuable discussion about empathy for others and the importance of activism and acceptance.

Third Grade Teacher, San Diego Unified School District

We want to affirm kids. We want to tell them that they belong, that they are good just the way that they are. This collection of books is about telling stories and changing the narratives in ways that normalize life for our students.

Youth Advocacy Department, San Diego Unified School District

All students deserve to feel seen and represented. Thank you for providing these much needed books in our libraries.

Assistant Director Curriculum, Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District

For far too long, LGBTQ+ stories have been absent in our K-12 schools. But now our LGBTQ+ students see literature that reflects them and their families. This is huge!

Principal, Elementary School, Salt Lake City School District

The box of LGBTQ+ books has transformed our school’s culture! They inspired many questions from our youth and sparked many conversations about how everybody is equal.

Teacher, Elementary School, San Francisco Unified School District

I know from experience how it feels to feel like you are not represented enough in books, TV, and media. These books have the chance to make the school environment happier, healthier, and more inclusive for ALL students.

6th Grade Elementary Student