In an age shaped by social media and constant information, many parents struggle with how much of the world children should be exposed to. The nonprofit A Book A Day believes the right book can help children better understand the world around them — and themselves.
Step inside founder Sibylla Shekerdjiska-Benatova’s home, and it feels less like a house and more like a living library. Thousands of children’s books line the shelves and fill boxes, each one chosen with intention.
“Books are museums,” Sibylla says. “The types of books we choose have gorgeous illustrations.”
Those books aren’t just meant to spark imagination, they’re meant to preserve history and offer comfort. In 2000, Sibylla immigrated to the United States from Soviet-era Bulgaria with just one suitcase.
Inside it were some clothes and about 25 children’s books.
“Books were my comfort blanket,” she recalls.
Years later, concerned by what she saw in school libraries — outdated collections, offensive titles, and a lack of funding — Sibylla decided to take action. She created A Book A Day to put new, diverse, and meaningful books into the hands of children who might not otherwise have access to them.
“No new books were coming into libraries because there were no funds,” she says. “What was there was very outdated, sometimes even offensive.”
What started with two books delivered to two schools each week has now grown into an operation serving thousands of kids across the region. The goal is simple: to show children what’s possible.
“We wanted to show children that they have the tools,” Sibylla says. “That they can do things as well.”
A core part of the mission is representation.
“Children of color need to see themselves and white children need to see children of color,” Sibylla explains.
The organization also distributes multilingual books, opening doors for children to explore new languages, cultures, and experiences. Staff members describe each book as a portal, often to joy and sometimes to wonder.
One story in particular hits close to home for Sibylla – a book about a young girl forced to leave her country, navigating a world where she isn’t always welcomed.
“I know what those gestures meant to me,” she says. “Friends who were kind and welcoming.”
Today, A Book A Day serves schools, medical centers, and community spaces throughout the region. And now, Sibylla is working on something deeply personal; her very own children’s book.
It’s a full-circle moment that underscores the heart of the mission: how one book, placed in the right hands, can change how a child sees the world.
