Being mom is a big job, full of tall orders and nearly impossible tasks, bath times, teddy bears, boo-boos—and beautiful, unforgettable moments.

Share Your Love, Thank A Mom. This year, join RIF and Macy’s to celebrate moms and all they do with your favorite throwback pics. From April 27 through Mother’s Day, when you share your favorite mom memories on Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr using #MacysLovesMoms and #RIF, Macy’s will donate $3 for every mom moment shared, up to $400,000, to mom-approved charities like RIF. Find out more about the campaign here.

We asked RIF staff to share their best photos and mom moments, and you won’t be surprised to know our moms, aunts, and grandmas were book nerds, too. Check out our memories (and mom fashion statements) below, then share your own with #MacysLovesMoms to support RIF this Mother’s Day.

	Carol Rasco, President and CEOReading with her daughters was as much a part of my mother’s parenting as feeding us, having us brush our teeth at night, mind our manners and such. I remember feeling puzzled that bedtime could arrive at my friends’ homes, and they did not read with a parent as they went to bed. How did those friends fall asleep with no shared story?
	Tracey Beeker, VP of Marketing and CommunicationsCan you tell our Mom was a librarian? She instilled a love of books with all four of us – even though my youngest brother looks like he’d rather be taking a nap.
	Aileen Moffatt, VP of DevelopmentWhen I was seven, I went to London with my Mum and Dad on vacation. The thing I remember most about London? We went to an enormous children’s bookstore and I was able to pick out whatever I wanted. All the historic sites didn’t come close to that!  Books and books and more books, or at least that is how I saw it. It was divine!  The book I remember most from that adventure was A Child’s Garden of Verse. It was SO beautiful! I still have it.
	Ameesha Sampat, Communications Manager Growing up, my sister and I weren’t supposed to touch the furniture in the living room. Mom made it clear that that floral sofa was off limits. But when we shut our bedroom door and rearranged our beds and bookcases to create the ultimate reading nook, she offered ideas on how to make it cozier (protip: use lots of stuffed animals and pillows) and let us read until dinner.
	Jennifer Moone, Director of Government RelationsReading the Little Golden Book Little Lost Kitten with my mom was a daily occurrence in my house. We read it together so often that before long, I was flipping the pages and telling my mom the story of the kitten’s adventures, even though I was too young to read the words yet!

Learn about the campaign at Macys.com/MacysLovesMoms.

Meet the 2015 Anne Hazard Richardson RIF Volunteers of the Year! Every year we’re proud to honor RIF volunteers who have blown us away with their commitment to bringing the joy of reading—as well as the self-confidence that come with it—to children in their communities.

Read their full profiles in our press release.

Maira Burns, McAllen, Texas
English Language Arts Coordinator, McAllen Independent School District

Maira knows what RIF books can mean for children and families in her community.

“Many teaching tools use experiences of things our kids are not really familiar with, like snowboarding or skiing,” she shared. “When they saw arroz con leche in a RIF book, parents were making it at home to bring to class! It’s huge for our kids to see that other people have the exact same experiences that they do.”

The best part, she says, is seeing children select books to read to their younger siblings. “They’re becoming pioneers of literacy in their own household.”

Justina Johnson “JJ” Head, Northern Virginia
Vice President of RIF of Northern Virginia

For JJ, RIF means family. After the birth of her first child, JJ left teaching but still wanted to contribute to her community. So when her mother—a RIF volunteer at the time who still serves on the board for RIF of Northern Virginia today—suggested volunteering for the entirely volunteer-run RIF of NOVA, JJ jumped at the opportunity. But starting as newsletter editor over 20 years ago, she could not have guessed how her relationship with RIF would grow.

“It’s so special to the kids. You think they love TV and video games, but this is so important,” she says. “These kids hand it down to their siblings. Entire families have libraries because of RIF.”

Wanda Dawson, Bayboro, North Carolina
Superintendent, Pamlico County School District

Wanda knows how powerful books can be. Pamlico received its first RIF books and activities after Hurricane Irene in 2011. “It devastated the county,” Wanda says. “RIF was the perfect program because people had literally lost everything. But they had the books.”

Wanda jumped at the chance for Pamlico schools to participate in a two-year RIF research study that put new RIF books in classrooms and provided children with several books to take home and keep. Now that the study has concluded, Wanda has involved the entire community in an effort to collect books to continue to give to every k-5 student before summer break. “We have children that live 35-40 miles from the library,” she says. “It’s hard to get there over the summer, and even if you can you have to choose between using gas to go to the library or for Daddy to go to work.”

Ellen Halliday, Brooklyn, New York
RIF Coordinator, Brooklyn Public Library

The Brooklyn Public Library has been with RIF for over 35 years. Ellen has been RIF Coordinator for Brooklyn Public Library for nearly 15 of those years. “Because we’ve had RIF for so long, we have parents who bring their kids in, and the parents were RIF kids, too,” Ellen says. “They’ll travel to find RIF.”

The Brooklyn Public Library serves the borough’s 2.5 million residents. “One of the legacies of RIF,” Ellen says, “is when we come up with new programs, we try to build in money for books that children can keep.” Currently, two additional programs include a “books for ownership” component: Ready, Set, Kindergarten!, which shows parents and caregivers what they can do to help their children’s literacy development, and Read! Write! Create!, a comic-book making workshop for children.

Celebrate with us!

The Volunteer of the Year Award winners will be recognized at our Z IS FOR MOOSE Gala in Washington, D.C. on May 19. Join us!

If you get through the whole booklist, we have even more fun and friendly activities for you to enjoy with your Valentine this month.

	Wings by Christopher Myers – Ikarus Jackson is bullied for having wings, but one girl finds the courage to quiet the bullies and make a new friend. Dreamlike collage art brings this fresh take on a familiar schoolyard tale soaring to new heights.
	Z is for Moose by Kelly Bingham, Paul O. Zelinsky (illustrator) – Moose may be a little overeager to be in the alphabet lineup, but Zebra’s forgotten to include Moose at all! Can Zebra fix this mess before the whole alphabet is ruined?
	Owen & Mzee told by Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff, Dr. Paula Kahumbu, Peter Greste (photographer) – When a young hippo is separated from his family after the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia, he looks to a older tortoise for warmth and companionship. When the tortoise accepts the hippo, a true story stranger – and sweeter – than fiction unfolds.
	One of Us by Peggy Moss, Penny Weber (illustrator) – Roberta wears her hair straight up, loves climbing the monkey bars, has a flower on her lunchbox, and wears running shoes. Will she fit in at her new school?
	Enemy Pie by Derek Munson, Tara Calahan King (illustrator) – Dad has a secret weapon for getting rid of enemies: Enemy Pie. But one of the ingredients is spending an entire day with the enemy!
	City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems, Jon J. Muth (illustrator) – City Dog befriends Country Frog. Expressive watercolors convey the changing of the seasons of the year, as well as how the seasons of life affect relationships.
	Boy + Bot by Ame Dyckman, Dan Yaccarino (illustrator) – Boy loves Bot. And Bot loves Boy. But some fundamental differences between the two cause a lot of confusion and concern! Can they find a way to still be friends?

February is a time to remember and celebrate the black individuals and events that have helped shape our country. Make sure to look into African American History Month events at your locals museums and libraries, and check out our favorite books for the month. Each of the stories highlighted below is a true tale, or based on fact, and can be used to illustrate different points in the history of African Americans:

	Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey, Gwen Strauss, Floyd Cooper (illustrator) – While Ruth’s story is fictional, The Green Book that helped a generation of African Americans navigate the Jim Crow South is a piece of our history many may not know about.
	Henry’s Freedom Box by Ellen Levine, Kadir Nelson (illustrator) – This true story focuses on one of the Underground Railroad’s most famous runaway slaves and the ingenious idea that brought him to freedom.
	Little Melba and Her Big Trombone by Katheryn Russell-Brown, Frank Morrison (illustrator) – Melba Doretta Liston was a jazz virtuosa at a time when it was unlikely for a woman of any race to arrange, compose, and play music.
	More Than Anything Else by Marie Bradby, Chris K. Soentpiet (illustrator) – Young Booker T. Washington wants to learn to read, but he must spend his days laboring with his father at the salt works. How will he unlock the secrets he knows the books hold?
	Nobody Owns the Sky by Reeve Lindbergh, Pamela Paparone (illustrator) – Daughter of aviator Charles Lindbergh, Reeve Lindbergh uses rhyme to share the story of “Brave Bessie” Coleman, the first licensed black aviatrix in the world.
	Twice as Good by Richard Michelson, Eric Velasquez (illustrator) – William Powell was enchanted by golf from the time he was a child but wasn’t allowed to play because of the color of his skin. Find out how he makes his dream a reality.
	Touch the Sky by Ann Malaspina, Eric Velasquez (illustrator) – Inspire young minds with the story of Alice Coachman, who went from fashioning a high jump with sticks and rags to sailing over crossbars in London to become America’s first African American Olympic gold medalist.
	Philip Reid Saves the Statue of Freedom by Steven Sellers Lapham, Eugene Walton, R. Gregory Christie (illustrator) – Philip Reid, a skilled and enslaved African American, is the only hope when craftsmen working on the U.S. Capitol building are faced with a complicated puzzle. As he works on the Statue of Freedom, he can feel freedom just around the corner for himself and all other enslaved Americans.
	I, Matthew Henson: Polar Explorer by Carole Boston Weatherford, Eric Velasquez (illustrator) – Matthew Henson was born to sharecropper parents, but would not settle for an ordinary life. How far would he go to defy the odds and reach the North Pole?

On top of that, McDonald’s is giving 100,000 Happy Meal books to bring the joy of reading to kids in RIF programs that don’t have easy access to books. We’re feeling pretty happy about that!

Even lunchtime can become a fun learning opportunity for young children. Our President and CEO, Carol H. Rasco explained, “we need to reach families where they are,” and McDonald’s is a comfortable atmosphere for many families. “Parents are there to talk and laugh and have fun with their children,” and this month they can do so with some our of favorite children’s books.

Here are the books that will be in Happy Meals nationwide this month:

	If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff, Felicia Bond (illustrator): Ever wondered what happens if you give a mouse a cookie? This  circular story of a boy and an insatiable mouse will delight any child!
	Big Nate: In a Class by Himself (abridged) by Lincoln Pierce: Ever had a day that didn’t go your way? While’s Nate’s bad day takes place in middle school, even the youngest children will laugh through the book.
	Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses by Kimberly and James Dean: Pete the Cat’s not feeling so great when he wakes up… until a pair of magic sunglasses shows him how to find his good mood and do the same for his friends.
	Flat Stanley Goes Camping by Jess Brown, Macky Pamintuan (illustrator): Take a trip to remember with Flat Stanley! When he and his little brother decide to make their own fun on their family camping trip, they find themselves in the middle of more adventure than they’d bargained for!

Sebastian’s an avid reader, currently hooked on the Magic Tree House adventure series, and he wants to help us give books to the kids who need them most. He may only be five going on six, but he loves reading and knows the joy it will bring to children just like him.

For me, Sebastian’s birthday wish was a reminder that each of us has the power to make a difference. Please join me and Sebastian this holiday season by supporting RIF’s work to get books to more kids who need them.

A few months ago, the Kappa chapter at the University of Iowa got wind of our recently launched Kappa-inspired resources — featuring books and activities centered around Kappa themes like friendship and community service, and featuring Kappa symbols like the owl — and sprang into action, ordering titles for the children they’d be serving at their upcoming Reading Is Key event.

Last month, they hosted a wonderful literacy celebration at the Melrose Daycare in Iowa City where their members spent time with children sharing the importance of reading and encouraging family reading time at home. In small groups, the Kappas and children read some of the great RIF books they brought with them. The best part? Each child got to take a RIF book home to own and keep! The chapter fundraised for the initiative through their Kappa Kones event earlier in the year, which featured free ice cream, face painting, and balloons for Iowa City children, with all donation proceeds going to the purchase of RIF books.

Also a roaring success, the Northern Virginia Alumnae Association of Kappa Kappa Gamma recently held their first ever Holiday Marketplace with proceeds to benefit RIF.  With over 15 vendors and a raffle for door prizes, they had a great turnout for this festive afternoon and raised enough money to help us provide more than 430 books to children in need! On tap next for this group is their February Reading Is Key event where they’ll continue their efforts to spread the love of reading to underserved children in their community.

We are so thankful for great partners in our literacy mission and appreciate our Kappa friends near and far for all of the wonderful ways they support RIF! Join Kappas across the country in supporting RIF this holiday season. When you make a gift to RIF by December 31, you donation will be matched up to $115,000.

Well, Greg’s holiday polar bear art reading got us thinking: let’s read about polar bears! Here are some of our favorites:

	Polar Bear Night by Lauren Thompson, Stephen Savage (illustrator) – Simple, near-monochromatic linocut illustrations set the stage for a polar bear’s adventure after waking up to a starlit world of ice and sea.
	Polar Bear Morning by Lauren Thompson, Steven Savage (illustrator) – In the sequel to “Polar Bear Night,” we join the polar bear as she starts her day and makes her first friend.
	Immi’s Gift by Karin Littlewood – Immi’s having a cold, lonely winter until she finds a tiny red bird and other magical charms while fishing. When her adorned igloo draws visitors from across the icy expanse, she decides to send out some magic of her own.
	Kali’s Story: An Orphaned Polar Bear Rescue by Jennifer Keats Curtis, John Gomes (photographer) – Follow the true story of polar bear cub Kali, from his rescue in an Inupiat village to his new home at the Brooklyn Zoo.
	Can I Come Too? by Brian Patten and Nicola Bayley  – A tiny mouse goes in search of the biggest creature in the world, and other animals become curious, too. Is it a kingfisher? A polar bear? Or something else?

Every book contains a world that can be a place for exploration and for comfort. Help us open up new worlds to children across the country, and get them ready for greater adventures in the year to come.

The joy of reading is a gift that never gets old. This season, spread the holiday spirit by giving a gift in honor of a friend or family member. When you give before December 31, your gift will be matched up to $115,000 for double the cheer.