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!

“You can’t be a writer without reading. It’d be like trying to be a chef without ever eating.”—George Ella Lyon

An audience of 65 5th-grade students were treated to the wit and wisdom of author and poet George Ella Lyon today at DC Prep’s Edgewood Middle Campus.

Lyon’s book “All the Water in the World” is featured in RIF’s Multicultural Book Collection, which was also provided to the school. And instead of reading the children her book, Lyon (who is also a singer and songwriter) sang them the book, with the kids leading the chorus.

Lyon talked a lot about the experiences she had as a child and how they led her to becoming a writer, encouraging them to share their own stories with the world. She showed the kids her writing notebooks. And she answered some great questions from a very engaged and gracious crowd.

Then, in true RIF style, students got to pick two books from a large selection of titles. (Nancy Drew and Wayside School books were a big hit.) They wrote their names in their books, sent us off with a big “THANK YOU!” and headed back to their classrooms, with books and summer reading activities in hand.

The event was all part of our partnership this year with the Junior League of Washington (JLW), which reached 6,500 other students in D.C. this week, all taking home two books of their own.  Throughout the year, RIF and JLW have given out more than 33,000 books to kids in underserved communities.  Talk about book people uniting!

Involved with community organization like the Junior League, Lions Club or Kiwanis Club and looking to get involved with RIF in your area? Contact Jennifer Katz, RIF’s director of government relations & community outreach, to learn more.

The kids at Savoy Elementary are doing great — despite several interruptions by one spotlight-hogging Moose.  

Moose was joined by Caldecott-winning illustrator Paul O. Zelinsky, who read and drew for the children from his hit “Z is for Moose,” written by Kelly Bingham.

The event was made possible thanks to a partnership between Reading Is Fundamental and the Junior League of Washington. After the reading, the children all got to choose their own, free book to take home before the holidays.

In fact, thanks to the partnership, more than 6,500 children at 20 other D.C. Public Schools will be receiving books this December. They’ll also get special activity pages to take home.

Each of the schools will also receive RIF’s Multicultural Book Collection, featuring “Z is for Moose” and 39 other titles with Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Math themes.

Educators and parents can download free activity pages — developed in line with Common Core Standards  — for each title to help extend the learning experience. By the end of the school year, the children at Savoy will each have five new books of their own.

Through JLW’s Resolution Read program, 100,000 books will be distributed to children in Washington, D.C., honoring the organization’s 100th anniversary.

For more a behind-the-scenes look at the Savoy event, check out RIF’s photo album on Flickr.

• 250,000 books to children nationwide to take home just before the holidays — united with First Book and others
• 6,500 books to children in D.C. Public Schools just before the holiday break — united with Junior League of Washington
• 1,500 books to children affected by Hurricane Sandy in Queens and Staten Island — united with YMCA of Greater New York and others

Earlier this year, we launched Book People Unite, a campaign to rally support for children’s literacy. Thousands of people have taken the Book People pledge, declaring their belief in the transformative power of books. Your support has helped us:

• Raise $4.8 million during our annual Be Book Smart campaign in Macy’s stores nationwide
• Secure $4.18 million in federal funding to provide books to kids in the summer – a critical time to support their long-term academic achievement
• Honor our troops with literacy celebrations and book giveaways for their families
• Provide literacy training for educator and caregivers in rural and urban communities
• Inspire the next generation of innovators through the launch of our 2013 Multicultural Book Collection centered on Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Math (or STEAM) subjects

With poverty affecting 16 million children today – and two-thirds of children in these homes lacking even a single book to call their own – our work has been more impactful than ever.

Thank you, Book People, for your steadfast support.

There’s so much more to do. We look forward to continuing the journey together. Book People Unite!