Our 20th Anniversary

Books for a Better World was founded in 2000 by Kae Robb and a group of dedicated volunteers, and we'd like to celebrate!



1. We published a book! Buy it HERE

front cover

As we dealt with the disappointment this year of not being able to bring books to children in rural areas of Central America, who need them more now then ever, we created something very special that we'd like to share with you now, a new book! With the help of many volunteers, we wrote a story book in honor of the 20th anniversary of the founding of Books for a Better World. 

La mochila de sueños - Backpack of Dreams is the true story of how one woman, Kae Robb, was inspired to bring the joy of reading to children. Kae believed that all children should have access to quality books. Twenty years later, Books for a Better World continues to carry out her vision. Illustrated by Jan McLaughlin, we hope that this story of carrying out a project to help others will inspire kids to see their own dreams as attainable - with the help of passion, dedication, and teamwork.

This book is bilingual in Spanish and English at a 1st/2nd grade reading level, but is appropriate for children of all ages. We used Amazon's Kindle Direct Printing to independently publish the book. Most of the illustrations and text were completed during the summer of 2020, was published on December 5th, 2020. We plan to deliver 250 copies of this book to schools in Central America during the summer of 2021 and/or 2022.

After a successful gofundme campaign, the books is now available as a get one/give one on amazon.com. Each purchase allows us to give another books to a school in need in Central America. 

Written with help from: Stephanie Goins, Kae Robb’s daughter Alex Robb, Kae Robb's husband Jan McLaughlin, illustrations Miriam Libman, translation Fabio Correa Sandra Patricia Cruz Kate Eaton Carolina Castro Quirós and the 2020 board of directors of Books for a Better World:
Kira Gartell, President Lisa Schuring, Vice President Elise Riker, Secretary Jennifer Turner, Treasurer Alice Finn Gartell Dana Friedeman Holly Nipperus Dayna Tanner


A special thank you to those who financially helped to make this book possible:
Carl E. Brown
Tracy Denmark & Marc Schwimmer
Heather Frederick
Alice Finn Gartell
Julia Bencomo Lobaco
Sarah Schoenfelder & Bill Harrison
Louise Prestwich Spendlove
Scott & Kari Spendlove
Georgann Wingerson and
Allen & Luis Beach
The Wild Donahues
Kira Gartell
Jeannie Goins
Stephanie & Michael Goins
Paula Kay Goins
The Isaac Family
Linda Layne
The Liebhaber Family
The Maples Family
Tamina McMillan
Heather Pierce
Jennifer Priest
The Schonbok Family
The Schuring Family
Jane Strachan
Sonya Vickers
Andy & Heather Wilson