About Us

A Book a Day is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in West Philadelphia. We engage the arts to expand literacy and promote interdisciplinary and life-long learning among children in underserved and diverse communities. Since our founding in 2014, we have distributed more than 10,000 books to young readers throughout Philadelphia (with a focus on West and Southwest Philadelphia) through donations to Title I public school libraries, community centers, health facilities, and more. Our main goal is to support public education in urban settings and help students become independent and empowered citizens.

A Book a Day is largely run by first-generation immigrant women passionate about using their higher education to further the fight for equal access to education for children. Our personal cultural experiences help us to better understand and serve the diverse community of Philadelphia students. Every title we donate is carefully selected with an emphasis on elevating marginalized and underrepresented voices.

The core aim of the A Book a Day program is to find new and intriguing diverse books on music, art history, poetry, street art, and science books for the young reader.

As an artist and picture-book illustrator, I have been collecting children’s books for over 30 years. My collection currently holds over 7000 titles in English, Bulgarian, Russian, Hebrew, and other languages. When I developed the idea for the A Book a Day Program in 2012, I wanted to replicate my personal collection and share it with children in our community. Our international team brings their unique immigrant stories, and we believe these personal experiences help us better serve the diverse community of West Philadelphia students. Our work centers around the book. Every title that we donate is carefully selected and reflects the multicultural identities and immigrant backgrounds of our team.

Sibylla Shekerdjiska-Benatova, Executive Director

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