Tree House Books is on a mission to grow and sustain a community of readers, writers, and thinkers in Philadelphia. Founded in 2005, our vision is to make sure that every child has access to books and every opportunity to fulfill their dreams and explore their passion.

We are a Giving Library and Literacy Center in North Philadelphia with a dual purpose: to provide free books to the community and spread knowledge and awareness. We also provide Out of School Time (OST) programs that increase literacy skills, and promote a lifelong love of reading and writing in children from their earliest moments, through high school, and beyond.

Our Giving Library is a true community center, as well as a by-donation bookstore. Giving Library is open six days a week for our families. In our literacy programs, we have re-imagined the way OST programming can support our children, with a 2:1 student-to-instructor ratio at every level. Finally, understanding that books in the house is the #1 indicator of a child’s potential for success, we distribute thousands of books to children and adults all over Philadelphia.

We enlist the entire community - children, families, students, educational institutions, businesses, and more - to join us in a spirit of volunteerism and philanthropy, to change lives and have an impact on literacy in Philadelphia!

5 Programmatic Priorities

To achieve our vision, we operate on five priorities that inform everything we do:

Reading: We provide books to the community and offer programs that build literacy skills and spark a lifelong love of reading and writing in children of all ages.

Writing: We incorporate writing activities into our programs every day.

Thinking:  We encourage exploration and support intellectual curiosity in all programs to promote a non-judgemental environment in which participants express ideas, ask questions, and engage deeply with their learning.

Family Engagement: We support and encourage families to read together in the home through structured activities, events, and support services.

Community: We connect with our North Philadelphia neighborhood and contribute to the fabric of what makes this a strong community.