Jacksonville, Fla. — Tenikka’s Books for Kids is back for an eighth year! From March 17-29, 2025, we are collecting new and very gently used books for local children from birth to 18 years old. This includes everything from picture books for babies, books for new readers, and chapter books for teens.
All the books collected during Tenikka’s Books for Kids book drive are given to kids who meet their reading goals during the Jacksonville Public Library’s Summer Reading Program. The books come at no cost to the children or their families.
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There are several ways to donate:
- Order books online from the Tenikka’s Books for Kids Amazon Wish List, curated by the Jacksonville Public Library. You can also scan the QR code on the Tenikka’s Books for Kids commercials airing on CBS47 and FOX30 to go straight to the Amazon Wish List.
- Drop off book donations at all Jacksonville Public Library branches.
- Shop Local: Buy books in-store and donate on-site at San Marco Books and More in San Marco. San Marco Books and More also has an online option for customers to purchase books here: https://www.sanmarcobooksandmore.com/wishlist/56
- You can also shop and donate books locally at The Bookmark in Neptune Beach.
- Drop off books at our participating Family Focus partners, click on each one for a list of their locations: First Florida Credit Union and First Coast YMCA.
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Tenikka’s Books for Kids has partnered with the nonprofit Library Foundation of Jacksonville. This means you can also make monetary donations that the Foundation will use to purchase books for local children that will also be distributed by the Jacksonville Public Library during the Summer Reading Program. You can donate to the Tenikka’s Books for Kids Fund with the Library Foundation of Jacksonville here: https://jacksonvillepubliclibraryfoundation-bloom.kindful.com/embeds/aa7d60dc-80f5-4bff-b572-0416baa9d370
Tenikka’s Books for Kids book collection drive serves two key purposes:
- One, it encourages children to read, thus preventing the “summer slide” where kids lose two to three months of what they learned in school.
- Two, it provides free books for children to build their own libraries at home.
Since it launched in 2018, Tenikka’s Books for Kids has put nearly 30,000 books in the hands of local children. Thank you for helping us give the gift of reading to local children and please make time to read with the children in your life!
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