Putting Children's Books Where Kids Actually Are
Published on May 29, 2026
By Josh Eldred
Every week, I sort through donated children's books — board books with bent corners, picture books with crayon marks on the inside cover, chapter books that still smell like a kid's backpack. And every week, I put the best of them back out into Albuquerque, in the places where kids and families actually spend time.
That's the practice at the heart of what I do with children's books at the New Mexico Literacy Project. Not warehousing them. Not pricing them for resale. Getting them into waiting rooms, Little Free Libraries, and community spaces where a kid who doesn't have books at home might pick one up and start reading.
Last verified May 2026 · Original research by Josh Eldred
Why Location Matters for Early Literacy
The research on early literacy is clear: kids who grow up around books read better. Having books in the home makes a measurable difference. But not every family in Albuquerque has shelves full of books — and not every kid who needs a book is going to walk into a library or a bookstore.
That's why I focus on putting children's books where kids already are. Waiting rooms where families sit for an hour. Little Free Libraries in neighborhoods where the nearest bookstore is a long drive. Community gathering spaces where a parent might grab a book on the way out the door.
The idea isn't complicated. If you put a children's book somewhere a child is going to be, there's a decent chance that child picks it up. Maybe takes it home. Maybe reads it with a parent or a sibling. That matters — not because of some grand program design, but because a kid with a book in their hands is a kid who might become a reader.
How It Works
When someone in Albuquerque donates children's books to me — whether through a free pickup or at my 24/7 drop box — every single item gets hand-sorted. Children's books are pulled out and set aside. They don't go into the resale pile with everything else.
Instead, they get routed out into the community. I stock Little Free Libraries across the metro. I place books in spaces where families gather. I keep a running stock of age-appropriate titles ready to go when the opportunity comes up.
I'm honest about what I am: a for-profit used-book and estate cleanout operation, not a nonprofit. The resale side of the business is what pays the bills and funds the free pickups. But the children's book practice is the part I'm proudest of. Every donated children's book that ends up in a kid's hands is a book that didn't end up in a landfill — and didn't end up priced out of reach on a shelf somewhere.
The Kinds of Books That Make a Difference
You don't need to donate pristine, brand-new books. The children's books that do the most good in community spaces are often the ones that look loved — well-read board books for toddlers, chapter books for early readers, picture books in English and Spanish. I take them in any condition. A book with a torn page is still a book a kid can read.
If you're cleaning out a playroom, downsizing, handling an estate, or just clearing shelves your kids outgrew — those books have somewhere to go. And it's somewhere better than a donation bin at a thrift store that's going to price them and hope someone buys them. The children's literacy landscape in Albuquerque runs mostly on new books through publisher programs. What's missing is a channel for used books in real-world condition — and that's the gap I fill.
If You Have Children's Books to Share
This is an open invitation. If you have gently used children's books sitting in a closet, a garage, or a box you haven't opened since your kids went to college — I'll pick them up for free, anywhere in the Albuquerque area. Any condition. No sorting needed on your end.
Text or call me at 702-496-4214 and I'll come get them. You can also drop them off anytime at my 24/7 location at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, Unit A. The whole process takes about two minutes of your time, and those books end up exactly where they should be — in the hands of a kid who needs them.