Blue Manatee Literacy Project

Blue Manatee Literacy Project (BMLP) has been launched by a community team of educators, reading and early childhood experts, start-up veterans, physicians and nonprofit leaders to directly enhance childhood literacy among Cincinnati’s at-risk student population. Through a reinvention of Oakley’s treasured Blue Manatee Bookstore as the front door to the mission we call "Curated Literacy", books and experiential learning will be purposely connected. For decades, the Blue Manatee’s incredible "sense of place" has fostered young readers’ enthusiasm for literature, imagination and expressive arts and formed familial bonds and routines that forever impact its patrons. Far too few children have the gift of this experience. We aim to change that.

Through our Buy One, Give One program, for every book purchased through the Blue Manatee a book is donated to an at-risk child. Since our opening, April 2019, over 7500 books have been donated to disadvantaged children (8/2019)