Testimonials
Testimonials
Board of Directors
Board of Directors
Board of Directors
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Reading Ready Pittsburgh
supporting families to foster a love of reading
Reading Ready Pittsburgh believes in the power of family book sharing to ensure all children are ready to thrive in school.
By increasing access to books and encouraging significant family engagement, we work to guarantee that all families have the tools and resources they need to support their children.
All children deserve full book shelves.
More than 326,000 books given away to date!
Deon's Story
Deon, a former professional football player turned early literacy advocate, shares his story about learning how to read as an adult so he could be a part of his daughter's own journey of reading.
Our Recent News
2026 Breastfeeding Friendly Place Award!
Reading Ready Pittsburgh was recognized for demonstrating how small organizations can make a meaningful difference for breastfeeding families. By providing a clean, welcoming lactation space and creating an environment where nursing parents feel comfortable, Reading Ready Pittsburgh shows that breastfeeding-friendly practices are within reach
for organizations of all sizes.
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"At Reading Ready Pittsburgh, we believe that creating a welcoming environment means making room for the whole family," said Mary Denison, PhD, Executive Director of Reading Ready Pittsburgh. "Supporting breastfeeding parents is one practical way we can show families that they belong here. You do not need to be a large organization to make a difference. Sometimes it is simply about listening, being thoughtful and making sure people have what they need."
Dells Ice Cream Storytime
A HUMONGOUS thank you to Dell's Sundae Grill for hosting Reading Ready Pittsburgh's ice cream story time and free book fair event this past Saturday. Tons of families came through, and, of course, lots ice cream was enjoyed thanks to their very generous donation. Be sure to give them tons of support before the end of the season!
Bilingual Dolly Parton's Imagination Library Books
Get this! DPIL launched their bilingual English/Spanish option in California in June 2023 and now are now expanding into all remaining states in the USA! If you are currently enrolled in Dolly Parton's Imagination Library, you can switch to the fully bilingual English-Spanish program.
Mary's Essay in Kidsburgh
Our inspired and inspiring Executive Director, Mary Denison, recently wrote a wonderful op-ed about the importance of early literacy and barrier-free access to books, and it was just published on Kidsburgh. You can read it right here!
Little Library Painting
We recently had 4 teens and 3 counselors from 6th Presbyterian Church in East Liberty come down to Homestead to help refresh a couple little free libraries and wrap some birthday books. Thank you all so much for your time and effort! We hope to have you back soon for a couple more service projects.
Penguin Day at the Bookstore
Tons of fun this last Saturday for our penguin day! Lottie the penguin was just as curious and excited as all the children present who got to learn all about how rangers use their expertise to protect penguins. Thanks for coming out, friends.
DPIL Campaign Kickoff
We had a special kickoff for the “Imagine Free Books for All Children” project, a campaign for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library expansion in the City of Pittsburgh today at Phillips Rec Center in Carrick. Our Executive Director, Mary Denison, spoke as well as Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O'Connor; First Lady Katie O'Connor; councilman Bobby Wilson; Kathy Buechel, Executive Director of The Benter Foundation; Lauren Wirt, regional director of the Dollywood Foundation; and Keya Lowry, one of Reading Ready Pittsburgh’s board members and the mother of a former Imagination Library enrollee. Together we can ensure that EVERY Pittsburgh child has the opportunity to grow up surrounded by books. If you have children under the age of 5, make sure they’re enrolled in DPIL. If you don’t have children yourself, talk about the program with your family, with your friends, with your coworkers, with your neighbors, and even with the person behind you in line at the grocery store.
Blue Bag Events 2026
BLUE. BAG. CELEBRATIONS. We've had so many this year! If you are unfamiliar, our blue bag events are for when our kids graduate out of the Raising a Reader program in their pre-K. They get signed up for a library card, have a little party, and receive a blue bag for all their future library trips and checked out books.
