Abstract
Book giveaway programs provide free books to families with infants to encourage caregivers to begin reading to their children during infancy. This meta-analysis of 44 studies retrieved from 43 articles tests the effects of three major book giveaway programs: Bookstart (n = 11), Reach Out and Read (n = 18), and Imagination Library (n = 15). Effect sizes were aggregated within two domains—home literacy environment and literacy-related behavior and skills—before being averaged across studies. The findings corroborate the assumption that book giveaway programs promote children’s home literacy environment (d = 0.31, 95% CI [0.23, 0.38], k = 30), which subsequently results in more interest in reading and children scoring higher on measures of literacy-related skills prior to and during the early years of school (d = 0.29, 95% CI [0.23, 0.35], k = 23).
Highlights
Book giveaway programs provide free books to families with infants to encourage caregivers to begin reading to their children during infancy
This meta-analysis of 44 studies retrieved from 43 articles tests the effects of three major book giveaway programs: Bookstart (n = 11), Reach Out and Read (n = 18), and Imagination Library (n = 15)
The final sample included 44 studies retrieved from 43 articles/reports: 15 concerning Imagination Library, 18 Reach Out and Read, and 11 Bookstart
Summary
Book giveaway programs provide free books to families with infants to encourage caregivers to begin reading to their children during infancy This meta-analysis of 44 studies retrieved from 43 articles tests the effects of three major book giveaway programs: Bookstart (n = 11), Reach Out and Read (n = 18), and Imagination Library (n = 15). Book giveaway programs aim at enhancing the home literacy environments that caregivers provide in support of their young children’s literacy development. The third program, Imagination Library, has been implemented in the United States since 1995 and operates in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia This program provides one free book per month to children from birth until they start school, regardless of the family’s socioeconomic status (SES). The program has approximately 1.4 million children registered and has distributed in excess of 122 million books since its inception (Imagination Library, n.d.)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
