Hachette Book Group Celebrates Raising Readers & World Book Day with an ACLU Banned Books Partnership
New York, NY (April 27, 2026) – Hachette Book Group (HBG) proudly joined the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to mark World Book Day and Bring a Child to Work Day, kicking off the groups’ powerful collaboration on Hachette’s Raising Readers campaign. The effort is Hachette’s global social impact initiative aimed at tackling the concerning decline in children’s reading for fun and entertainment.
HBG was pleased to support the ACLU on April 23 in its launch of Know Your Rights University, a multi-episode animated series created for children and adults to make learning their rights fun and empowering. The short-form series offers engaging, age-appropriate content that helps children and their parents understand First Amendment rights, core civics concepts, and other legal protections.
HBG donated a library of 200 banned children’s books to the Know Your Rights University event, which was held at an educational center in New York City on World Book Day and Bring a Child to Work Day on April 23. HBG staff also attended the event, which featured a library of The ABCs of Black History, The ABCs of Queer History, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sold, Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe, and The Family Book.
The ACLU is now one of 40 organizations benefitting from HBG’s Raising Readers campaign, which calls on adults to read to children for just 10 minutes a day as a pathway to become happier, smarter, more confident and informed individuals. Research shows reading for fun impacts academic results, mental health, wealth, communication skills, happiness, and ambition. One of the KYR-U episodes focuses on the crisis of book banning in the United States, censorship that disproportionately impacts Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) and LGBTQ authors and content.
HBG publishes books for all ages and backgrounds and supports the rights of students and young people to access a diverse range of literature and ideas, especially those that reflect their identities, interests, and lived experiences. HBG believes that reading about a variety of perspectives promotes empathy, encourages intellectual curiosity, and is a core pillar of a free society. There’s no doubt that book bans in libraries and schools can alienate children from reading altogether, making HBG’s collaboration with the ACLU on April 23 and beyond critical now more than ever.
At the same time, HBG celebrated World Book Day and Bring a Child to Work Day by hosting a free book giveaway for children and employees at its New York headquarters at 1290 6th Avenue. Hundreds of people attended the book giveaway, which offered a wide selection of nonfiction and fiction titles.
HBG was proud to give more than 1,000 books to adults and children on April 23, advancing our mission to make it easy for everyone to discover new worlds of ideas.
“The work the ACLU does is so important, and we’re proud to collaborate with them on launching their vital project, Know Your Rights University. Providing a library of 200 banned children’s books to the ACLU during a time when the right to read freely is constantly under attack shows our shared commitment to challenging book bans and ensuring young readers have access to the widest range of books,” Hachette Book Group CEO David Shelley said.
“At a time when censorship over what kids can and cannot read and learn is on the rise, Know Your Rights University teaches kids that they have rights and shines a light on the tens of thousands of books removed from public schools and libraries over the past few years alone. Hachette Book Group’s banned book library of more than 200 banned children’s books gave participants real-life examples of the books that have been banned — from The ABCs of Queer History to Beloved. We’re proud to partner with Hachette on the launch of Know Your Rights University,” said Danielle Silber, Director of Strategic Partnerships for the ACLU.
Across HBG and Hachette UK, more than 12 million books now include a message about the reading crisis and the importance of encouraging a child’s lifelong love of reading. By the end of 2026, this number is expected to grow to more than 25 million books across more than 3,000 works.
HBG urges the public to visit the Raising Readers website, JoinRaisingReaders.com, and sign the pledge to spend 10 minutes a day reading to or with a child and to access resources to help the next generation become lifelong readers.
About Hachette Book Group:
Hachette Book Group (HBG) is a leading U.S. general-interest book publisher made up of dozens of esteemed imprints within the publishing groups Basic Books Group, Grand Central Publishing Group, Hachette Audio, Little, Brown and Company, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Orbit; Workman Publishing; and Running Press Group. We also provide custom distribution, fulfillment, and sales services to several publishing companies.
Our books and authors have received the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, Caldecott Medal, Newbery Medal, Booker Prize, Nobel Peace Prize, James Beard Award, and other major honors.
We are committed to diversity in our company and our publishing programs, and to fostering a culture of inclusion for all our employees and authors. We are proud to be part of Hachette Livre, the world’s third-largest trade and educational publisher.
Visit hachettebookgroup.com to learn more about HBG imprints. For updated news follow HBG on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Threads, TikTok, X.com, Snapchat, and YouTube.
Press Contact: Gabrielle Gambrell, Chief Communications Officer, gabrielle.gambrell@hbgusa.com