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.

Happy 85^th birthday to a legend in the children’s literature world, Maurice Sendak. We wish you were here to celebrate with us, but you’ve indeed already given us so many wild memories.

Here’s a few of our favorites from this past year:

• WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE Gala 2013
• Original Gala artwork inspired by “Where The Wild Things Are”
• Kareem Abdul-Jabbar reads “Where The Wild Things Are” to Amidon-Bowen Elementary
• Google’s doodle

Here’s to you, Maurice!

Basketball legend and children’s book author Kareem Abdul-Jabbar joined RIF in giving the kids of Amidon-Bowen Elementary the gift of reading with their very own copy of WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE —and a special reading of the book by Kareem.

Amidon-Bowen holds a special spot in RIF’s heart – as it’s home to the very first RIF program. The school was also presented with RIF’s Multicultural Book Collection, in recognition of Margaret McNamara, RIF’s founder, and Barbara Atkinson, RIF’s first programs director. And thanks to the generosity of longtime board member and daughter of RIF’s founder, Margaret McNamara Pastor, the school is just one of 27 DC-based RIF programs to receive the Collection.

Seeing the smiles on faces of the kids and teachers as they received their books was a perfect way to end our wild rumpus.

Check out our Flickr album for more photos from the distribution!

Keep the wild rumpus going. Download our “Where The Wild Things Are” activity sheet for your kids.

Help kids in need get a book of their own. Learn how: https://secure2.convio.net/rif/site/Donation2?df_id=2432&2432.donation=form1&JServSessionIdr004=n1idgjrhk2.app202a

Photo: Left, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Right, Kaya Henderson, Chancellor of D.C. Public Schools (Kevin Wolf/AP Images for Reading Is Fundamental)