Jumpstart, a national organization that recruits and trains adults to teach foundational literacy skills to preschoolers, is partnering with Little Free Library to expand the 20th anniversary celebration for its Read for the Record early literacy initiative.
Read for the Record is, according to a release issued by the two organizations, “the world’s largest shared reading experience, uniting millions of readers to read the same book on the same day while raising awareness of the critical importance of early literacy.” More than 30 million people have participated in Read for the Record since 2005.
The anniversary celebration, which kicked off on October 13, will continue for the next 20 weeks, leading up to its culmination on February 26, 2026, when the readings across the country will take place.
The 2026 selection for Read for the Record is See Marcus Grow by Marcus Bridgewater (known as Garden Marcus on social media), illustrated by Reggie Brown (Penguin/Paulsen). The picture book weaves a tale about a boy learning the basics of gardening from his grandmother, introducing readers to the joys of gardening while also exploring themes of curiosity, discovery, and growth.
The collaboration between the two organizations will take Read for the Record beyond classrooms and into homes, as 10,000 books from Jumpstart’s collection of the selected reads from previous years, as well as the current selection, will be distributed via LFL’s extensive network of book-sharing boxes in four cities: Atlanta, Los Angeles, New York City, and Washington, D.C.
Each city will receive 2,500 custom paperback editions of books that include educational materials, such as vocabulary lists, activity guides, reading tips, and comprehension questions designed to build foundational literacy skills.
Jumpstart has already distributed 20,000 books in Broward County, Fla., and a newly installed LFL book-sharing box in front of the Broward Estates Elementary School is being stocked with a portion of these books. During a recent visit to that school, Bridgewater personally filled the LFL box with custom editions of See Marcus Grow.
According to a release, the collaboration between Jumpstart and LFL is meant to encourage more families to participate in Read for the Record. “Expanding access to high-quality books requires partnerships that meet families where they are—and Little Free Library does exactly that,” said Crystal Rountree, CEO of Jumpstart, which has served more than 209,000 children in the past 20 years.
Daniel Gumnit, LFL’s CEO since June, added that he and his colleagues are “thrilled to team up with Jumpstart” on Read for the Record. “By distributing 10,000 books through our Little Free Library network, this collaboration reflects the heart of our mission,” he said, “expanding access to books and inspiring lifelong readers.”
