We’re so excited to announce that we’ve united with McDonald’s to share the joy of reading. From Nov. 1-14, McDonald’s will put one of four limited-edition books in every happy meal to the tune of 20,000,000 books!

And that’s not all!  McDonald’s is giving 100,000 books to kids in RIF programs around the country (Awesome!). They have also collaborated with DK Publishing to give families anytime access to reading with a new interactive digital book to release each month through the end of 2014. The Happy Meal Books and the e-books, will also be available for download at HappyMeal.com. Spanish versions will be available on McDonalds.com and MeEncanta.com

Our President and CEO, Carol H. Rasco, said it best, “Books are essential for inspiring children to explore, dream and achieve, yet far too many children do not have this basic resource. To change this unfortunate reality, RIF is uniting with McDonald’s, a company that embraces the transformative power of books and is committed to helping families and communities thrive. Together, McDonald’s and RIF can truly help enrich kids’ lives through access to books and by putting the fun back into reading.”

Check out the books that will be in Happy Meals all over the country this November:

	Features Ant, a bite-sized bodybuilder who’s big on encouraging physical fitness through exercise and eating right.
	Shares how Deana, the world’s smallest dinosaur, grew tall by eating right.
	Tells of a goat who has a big appetite and struggles to eat right. But when he does, he feels great.
	Follows happy-go-lucky bird Doddi who travels the world. She eats right because this dodo is always on the go-go.

Growing up in the working-class neighborhood of Brook Park, Ohio, in the 1970s, Michele says she still remembers the RIF bookmobile. “It was the neighborhood ice cream truck,” said Michelle. “I was given The Velveteen Rabbit. I had never owned anything new before. When I held its fabric cover in my hands, I just thought this was the fanciest thing I had ever owned. The Velveteen Rabbit is my book.”

For Michelle, her RIF book became a theme for her life. “It talks about becoming real and believing in yourself. The Velveteen Rabbit actually becomes its dreams,” said Michelle. “It was a very powerful experience. Handing a book to a child is like handing them a journey—not just a toy.”

Michelle continued to believe in herself and worked hard to attend college. She attributes many of her undergraduate studies to discovering the scientific correlation to belief and transformation. “You become a different person when you believe in yourself,” said Michelle. “You can believe yourself into a better situation.”

Michelle went on to do just that. After going to law school at night, Michelle pursued a career as a patent litigator and is now the Vice President and Chief Privacy Officer at McAfee, Founder of The iDennedy Project and a proud parent.

“I still have my RIF book and my daughter now has it.” It seems incredible for a book to launch a life, but it happens every day as hungry, inquisitive young minds reach out and grab hold of the new people, places, and ideas that books bring them. That’s the passion behind RIF’s mission. Thank you for sharing your RIF story, Michelle. We believe!

• Help inspire a generation of RIF kids!
• Share your RIF story with us.

This Halloween, let RIF help you find the right scary or silly literary treat for everyone on our kid friendly list of award-winning children’s books and our list of classic literary treasures and poems for your teens. They’ll be sure to put the “boo” back in books!

Award-Winning Children’s Books:

	Haunted casas, las brujas on broomsticks and carved calabazas. Los Gatos Black has everything you need to brush up on your Halloween Spanish vocabulary. We even found a narrated video for your whole family to read along to this Pura Belpré award-winning children’s book.
	This bead illustrated children’s book is a Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year and is a great count-down read for Halloween. You may even learn some rhymes along the way.
	This hilarious spoof on the counting classic Over in the Meadow includes two escaped convicts who get the creeps from a haunted house. What will they do? Find out in this IRA-CBC Children’s Book Choice Award read that’s funny any time of the year.
	This intergenerational series is heartwarming and this story in particular is a Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year. Gus wants an awesome Halloween costume but his mom won’t let him get a store bought costume. Find out what Gus and Grandpa come up with together!
	Is your child afraid of the dark? This IRA-CBC Children’s Book Choice awarded story is meant to be read aloud and with Ted Rand’s stellar illustrations, the ghost-eye thee comes to life. Don’t let it reach out and grab you!
	Looking for the right amount of sweet and scary for your kids this Halloween, look no further than Ghosts in the House! This American Library Association Notable Children’s Book and is about a clever little girl who has a real knack for taking care of ghosts in her haunted house.
	Looking for a scary, funny and imaginative story? This New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year is a Roald Dahl classic about a seven-year-old boy who meets some real witches. Find out what makes a real witch and how this young boy tries to expose them with the help of his friends and a magical grandmother.

Favorites and Classic Poems for Teens:  

	The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving has scared many a child. That’s why we’ve put it on our teens list. Perhaps they won’t be so scared to turn the page.
	What would you do if you feel asleep for 20 years only to wake up to find a changed world? Rip Van Winkle, also by Irving, illustrates a cautionary tale with beautiful illustrations and a captivating imagination.
	“The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees, The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas, The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor, And the Highwayman came riding—riding—riding— The Highwayman came riding up to the old Inn door.” I still remember this eerie poem I was required to memorize in grade school, but now in after thought it stays with me as a quintessential piece of poetry for Halloween. Read The Highwayman, by Alfred Noyes, learn about onomatopoeias and you won’t regret it.
	The Pied Piper of Hamelin, by Robert Browning, sure knows how to take care of a few pests but what other things can he get rid of? The answer may scare you.
	A Vagabond Song, by Bliss Carman describes autumn as a woman in this classic poem.
	Theme in Yellow, by Carl Sandburg is yet another beautiful poetic ode to autumn.
	Autumn, by Emily Dickinson, illustrates the changes of autumn much like that of a woman changing her wardrobe.
	Mr. Spooky himself, Edgar Allen Poe, has some perfect pieces your kids can discover anew like The Tell-Tale Heart, or anything else by E.A. Poe—great time to read The Raven.

We hope you and your little readers have a very happy Halloween!

For more reading ideas, check out some of our reading activities like ghost stories and book and character costumes.

An interview with The New York Times best-selling author of The Book Thief, Markus Zusak.

Markus Zusak, best-selling author and Book Person

In a world where everything seemed lost and dark, books brought companionship and warmed the soul in the bestselling novel and soon-to-be movie of The Book Thief.

We were lucky enough to ask Markus his thoughts on his popular book, his experiences with books, what his hopes are for the movie version of The Book Thief and so much more!

RIF: Book Thief fans around the world are highly anticipating the upcoming movie release. What are your hopes for its impact on viewers?

MZ: I’ve always just hoped that no matter how different the film is from the book, it will have the same heart, and I think that’s exactly what it will be like. It’s being made my excellent film makers, but more than that, they’re just good people. I know that from my own point of view, it’ll be emotional. I can’t wait.

RIF: Who is your favorite character in The Book Thief? Why is this character special to you?

MZ: I always loved Rudy. He became my favorite character from the moment he painted himself with charcoal and turned himself into Jesse Owens. It was one of those small research miracles, where I went to the library to look up soccer players of that era and saw a book on the Olympics, with Jesse Owens on the cover…It hit me. I walked straight back out of the library and knew what I had to do. The Jesse Owens incident was one of those moments that made me fall in love with Rudy instantly. It gave him his life force, and I loved him from that moment to the last.

RIF: We really admire that you started writing as a teenager. What inspired you to follow this path so early on?

MZ: I loved it when a book took hold of me and made me keep turning pages right through the night. I remember my brother grumbling on the other side of our bedroom but I didn’t care. I loved believing a story even though I knew it wasn’t true. That’s what made me want to be a writer, I think – performing that kind of magic trick.

RIF: What was your favorite children’s book or book series growing up? Why did it capture you?

MZ: We had a huge Dr. Seuss collection at our place, and I’ve started reading them with my own kids now. There’s something really nice about opening up a book and finding your brother’s or one of your sisters’ names on the inside cover. I don’t know why, exactly. It just is. As for why those books captured me? I think I liked the wordplay, and it’s amazing how children recognize genius immediately, and there was no-one better than Dr. Seuss.

RIF: As a Dad, how do you encourage your children to love reading?

MZ: The first thing is probably letting them see you reading yourself. After that, I tend to read to my kids when they’re in the bath. Like most kids, mine have favorites, and I actually love rereading the ones they ask for again and again (usually straight away). We kind of like arguing about what to read as well. Sometimes that’s half the fun…

RIF: Here at RIF, we’re uniting Book People in a movement to raise awareness about the importance of children’s literacy and get books to kids in need. What does being a “Book Person” mean to you?

MZ: I think I love the thought that books are sort of tough. It’s not like TV, where everything comes towards you. With books, you have to make a bit more of an effort, and the rewards are amazingly rich. After all, you’re always one book away from discovering another new favorite. In the end, being a book person means loving books and stories, and the different worlds they allow us to live in. Life doesn’t get much better.

RIF: Do you have any new book projects in the works that you can tell us about?

MZ: I’ve been working on a book called Bridge of Clay for many years now. I’m always writing a book, or thinking about one, or subconsciously reading it in my head. I’m starting to joke with people that I’ll finish the new book some time late this century – but I hope it’ll be much sooner.

RIF: If you were writing a book about your life, what would the title be? Feel free to explain why or just leave it at the title!

MZ: The Mistake Maker. It’s actually the same title as a chapter in the book I’m working on now, but I think it applies pretty well to me as well. In writing you have to make mistakes, and even be grateful for them. It’s when you have problems that your best ideas often arrive – because it takes imagination to solve them. I guess I’ve learned to be grateful for failure. Each failure brings you closer to what might actually work.

For more from Markus, connect with him on 

The Book Thief, in theaters November, 2013

Our good friend, award-winning author, and the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is on a multi-city tour to spread the news about the release of his latest children’s book, Sasquatch in the Paint, about a nerdy eighth-grader who grows so tall that a basketball coach is determined to turn him into a player.

He made two special stops this past week just for RIF at Ft. Bragg in North Carolina and Joint Base Andrews in Maryland. And wow, did he score big with the military families!

As soon as Kareem stepped into the building, parents and kids alike were in awe. He casually took center stage and opened up about his life and his passion behind writing his latest book.

At Ft. Bragg, where his father was once stationed, Kareem told children that they should follow their dreams — and not necessarily those of their peers.

“I just thought there is so much in popular culture that tells kids that if they’re going to be successful, it’s going to have to be in the field of sports or entertainment. And that if it’s not that, they’re not going to make it. Theo, the main character, is on the academic team. He’s smart. Books just don’t sit in the corner in his room. That was one message I want to get across. Being smart is cool.”

Well, his message sure did resonate. At Joint Base Andrews, a proud little girl named Anna jolted her hand in the air and exclaimed, “I’m a celebrity reader!”  She then hopped up from her seat onto Kareem’s lap and asked the event photographer to take their picture. Now, that’s the confidence Kareem is inspiring kids to have.

Of course, the absolute best part of the event was the end when every child received a copy of Kareem’s book to keep and cherish!

We’d like to give an extra special thank you to all the amazing people at Ft. Bragg and Joint Base Andrews. You were awesome hosts! We are incredibly grateful to Kareem and the Skyhook Foundation for their support of RIF and commitment to improving literacy in underserved communities.

You can see all the action on our flickr photo gallery.

These two go together like peanut butter and jelly. Meet the Cowboy and the Octopus. A pair with some real flair.

I met them yesterday on a sunny afternoon at the National Book Festival on the National Mall.

This hilarious duo jumped right out of Jon Scieszka’s children’s book Cowboy and Octopus onto center stage at the “Literary Lights” Readers Theater.

With over-the-top and larger-than-life costumes (I might try to snag one for Halloween), these characters were brilliantly brought to life by RIF’s president and CEO, Carol H. Rasco, and former First Lady of Virginia, founding board member and Chairman Emeritus of RIF, Lynda Johnson Robb.

They served as Masters of Ceremonies during story book readings by former National Ambassadors for Young People’s Literature–Katherine Paterson and Jon Scieszka–as well as award-winning authors Susan Cooper and Grace Lin. They also added a witty tête-à-tête between each story presented that were happily received by erupting laughter from the crowd.

Everyone surely had a blast.

For more highlights, check out the video I took of the hilarious reading “drama”.

A big round of applause goes to The National Children’s Book and Literacy Alliance and The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress for hosting the “Literary Lights” Readers Theater. And wow! There were over 600 Junior League volunteers helping to make this year’s National Book Festival a huge success!

We also want to congratulate our friends at Reach Out And Read who won the Library of Congress’ David M. Rubenstein Prize for their work on early-childhood education.

We love all of you amazing Book People!

Have big plans this weekend?

If you’re in the Washington metro area, swing by the National Mall all weekend long for the free and fabulous National Book Festival!

RIF will be at the “Literary Lights Readers Theater” located in the Pavilion of the States at 4:30PM on Sunday with RIF President and CEO, Carol H. Rasco, and former First Lady of Virginia, founding RIF board member and Chairman Emeritus of RIF, Lynda Johnson Robb. They’ll bring the book Cowboy and Octopus by award-winning author Jon Scieszka to life. Learn more about the performance.

We hope to see you there—Book People Unite!

It is with great sadness that we announce the loss of Ruth Graves, a RIF leader and advocate for children and families.

Ruth served as RIF’s president from 1976 to 1997. Her vision and leadership guided RIF to its status as America’s foremost children’s literacy organization, overseeing a period of tremendous growth during which RIF grew tenfold, increasing its reach from 300,000 children to over 3 million children throughout the U.S.

After her tenure at RIF, Ruth continued to work tirelessly as an outspoken advocate for children’s literacy through serving on several advisory councils for education, government, and media organizations, frequently appearing as a media spokesperson and contributing to articles and books on literacy best practices.

RIF is honored to have had such a bold and bright star at its helm.  “We will miss you Ruth.”

The Graves family asks that memorial gifts be made to Reading Is Fundamental in Ruth’s honor.

Ever think that you can’t do something or that you aren’t doing it right?  I’m sure we all have doubted our abilities at some point.

But then there’s always that someone that believes in you, empowers you and builds up your self-esteem. Often there’s one person or teacher that makes all the difference.

That’s what The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds is all about.

So this International Dot Day, celebrate your creativity and embrace what makes you, you!

Here’s some ways to get your Dot Day off to a great start:

• Make a statement. Have your kids draw, paint, stamp, trace, rub or use any technique they want to create their own special kind of dot. Have them share it with their friends or classmates and discuss what makes their dot unique.
• Make some noise. Print out some free posters to display in your classroom or kids room at the International Dot Day website.
• Make your mark! Sign up and tell the International Dot Day community what you’re doing to celebrate International Dot Day.

Photo Source: Peter H. Reynolds

As summer winds down, kids across the country are bursting through classroom doors. And one thing we all have learned is that books are an essential school supply for every child.

This fall, RIF can give brand-new books to children in low-income communities who wouldn’t otherwise have access to these life-changing resources.

And there has never been a better time to give than right now. Books Are Fun, one of our generous corporate partners who shares our commitment to helping kids learn and grow, has agreed to match any and all donations up to $100,000.That’s twice as many books for boys and girls in need for every dollar you give.

This back-to-school season, let’s double-down on the successful future of our children. Give today!