PBS Kids Joins HarperCollins Children's Books For 2nd Annual I Can Readathon Campaign
New York, NY — HarperCollins’s I Can Read! books and PBS KIDS are collaborating on a national I Can Readathon campaign. Now in its second year, the campaign is designed to get kids learning every day through fun, engaging activities that encourage them to explore the world of books and develop a love of reading.
From now through spring 2016, families are encouraged to visit participating retailer events to take part in the I Can Readathon program. Children attending these events will receive activities from PBS KIDS, along with an I Can Readathon reading log, certificate, and activities designed around I Can Read! books. Widely recognized as the premier line of beginning readers, with hundreds of titles, including many award-winners, I Can Read! books have taught generations of children how to read.
In addition, HarperCollins has made a donation of over 8,000 books to First Book, a nonprofit organization that provides access to new books for children in need. Through a distribution program with PBS KIDS, the books donated to First Book will be provided to PBS member stations’ local partners, including local Head Starts, Title I elementary schools, United Ways, public libraries, local housing authorities, and others. The distribution will ensure that the books reach kids who are most in need of reading resources. To date, First Book has distributed more than 130 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families throughout the United States and Canada.
“We are thrilled to be working with PBS KIDS,” says Matt Schweitzer, Senior Director, Integrated Marketing, HarperCollins Children’s Books. “They are one of the most trusted brands by educators and parents and a supportive team in helping to spread the word about the importance of early reading.”
“PBS KIDS is committed to providing media resources to support children’s love of reading,” says Lesli Rotenberg, General Manager, Children’s Media, PBS. “We know that parents are looking for ways to support their children’s learning and development, so we’re thrilled to be working with partners like HarperCollins’s I Can Read! books and PBS member stations to provide families, especially those in underserved communities, with fun activities and content that encourage literacy.”
By pledging to read every day, new readers grow more confident and can enjoy reading on their own. For a complete list of participating retailers and PBS partner events, parents can like I Can Read! books on Facebook or visit www.icanread.com/pbs.
ABOUT HARPERCOLLINS CHILDREN’S BOOKS:
HarperCollins Children’s Books is one of the leading publishers of children’s and teen books. Respected worldwide for its tradition of publishing quality, award-winning books for young readers, HarperCollins is home to many timeless treasures and bestsellers such as Charlotte’s Web, Goodnight Moon, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Where the Wild Things Are, The Graveyard Book and series including The Chronicles of Narnia, Ramona, Warriors, Pete the Cat, Fancy Nancy, Divergent, and The Selection. Consistently at the forefront of digital innovation, HarperCollins Children’s Books delights readers through engaging storytelling in all formats, including e-books and apps. HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of HarperCollins Publishers, which is the second largest consumer book publisher in the world, has operations in 18 countries, and is a subsidiary of News Corp (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV). You can visit HarperCollins Children’s Books at www.harpercollinschildrens.com and www.epicreads.com and HarperCollins Publishers at corporate.HC.com.
