Book Bag
Our Mission
Leveraging creativity and innovation to inspire children to love books, one reader at a time.
What We Do
Bookelicious is a discovery tool that helps children build strong reading identities by leveraging innovative technology, expert curation, and fun to match kids with books they truly want to read.
We offer books, programs, and events for students, educators and families to engage and energize readers. Our approach is research-based, and we've curated a diverse collection of more than 40,000 titles. To date, our cutting-edge platform has been used in more than 4,500 schools nationwide.
Founding Story
Bookelicious founder Lea Anne Borders grew up with a love of books and libraries, something she was excited to share with her own kids. But she quickly learned that just because she loved Anne of Green Gables and Pride and Prejudice and Harry Potter didn’t necessarily mean her kids would.
Borders Books, the company founded by her husband and brother-in-law, Louis and Tom Borders, had already pioneered technology to customize each store’s selection of books to the community in which it was located. Lea Anne began exploring fun and engaging ways to take the next step, using technology to personalize recommendations for each individual reader, culminating with the launch of Bookelicious in 2021.
Unlike other literacy platforms, Bookelicious begins with the reader, not the book. We learn what each child is excited about, help them build a reading identity, and then help them discover books that match. Making those connections is a big win for kids, because excitement around books not only leads to more time spent reading, but also to greater reading achievement.
At Bookelicious, we’re inspiring children to love books, one reader at a time. Come join us!
Based on Research
Bookelicious was specifically designed to aggregate, streamline and actualize the following principles, based on decades of research:
- Reading volume develops vocabulary, fluency, comprehension and achievement
- Reader-centric experiences drive reading motivation, engagement and volume
- Books should be (in the words of Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop) “mirrors and windows for all our children”
Read the research here.
The Bookmoji Builder: A Better Book Discovery Tool
Students visually articulate what they love through this engaging game, and when they're connected to books related to those well-loved things, they develop strong reading identities and become more engaged readers.
Playing on their own or through a structured classroom activity, your students can build up to four personalized avatars that reflect their interests and enthusiasms, adding costumes, pets, and favorite accessories like sporting equipment and musical instruments. As kids build their Bookmojis, in real time, personalized, grade-appropriate book recommendations appear – all based on each child's individual interests. And every book has been curated by our expert network of teachers and librarians!
The Cherry On Top: It Works
According to educators surveyed: before using Bookelicious, only 1/3 of students found it easy to find books they were motivated to read; while using Bookelicious, more than 3/4 of students found it easy to find books they were motivated to read.