Celebrating Book Fairy Pantry Project

2026 Champions for Children Giraffe Award Winner! 

We are honored to award the Book Fairy Pantry Project a  2026 Giraffe Award in recognition of its extraordinary commitment to ensuring that no child grows up without books.

The Giraffe Award celebrates those willing to “stick their necks out” for children and families; those who see a need, take action, and create meaningful change. The Book Fairy Pantry Project embodies that spirit by addressing an often-overlooked aspect of childhood well-being: book insecurity.

Founded by children's advocate Pam Leo, the Book Fairy Pantry Project is a grassroots family literacy movement dedicated to preventing early childhood illiteracy, particularly among babies and young children in under-resourced families. Its approach is beautifully simple: meet families where they are and put books directly into their hands.

The project distributes quality new and gently used children's books through community spaces families already visit, including food pantries and WIC offices. Its philosophy is that having age-appropriate books at home from birth is a foundational need for learning to read, and that book ownership can help make reading a natural part of family life.

Volunteers collect books through donation boxes and community book drives, then sort and prepare them for distribution. The project also creates Book Fairy Story Bags, pairing books with matching stuffed animals to bring stories to life and encourage children's early love of reading.

Pam Leo's vision for family literacy has grown from more than forty years of working with children and families. She is a human development scholar, family literacy activist, leading voice in the Conscious Parenting Movement, author, homeschool advocate, childbirth educator, and former birth doula.

Pam is the author of the beloved parenting classic Connection Parenting and the children's book Please Read to Me. The board book was supported by Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation grants and distributed to Maine babies and children, extending her message that literacy and connection can begin from birth. Through her writing, speaking, teaching, and advocacy, Pam has consistently championed the importance of nurturing relationships, connection, literacy, and the conditions children need to thrive.

For creating a movement that puts books into the homes of children who need them, for strengthening families through literacy and connection, and for demonstrating what it means to truly stick your neck out for children, we are proud to recognize the Book Fairy Pantry Project as a 2026 Champion for Children and recipient of a 2026 Champions for Children Giraffe Award.

Congratulations to Pam Leo and the Book Fairy Pantry Project!