For millions of kids, you are a superhero.

Because of you—because of our 10 year partnership with Macy’s—together we’re able to give 10 million free books to children in need.

That’s 10 million more bedtime stories, 10 million more smiles and 10 million more possibilities. Our 2013 Be Book Smart campaign may be over, but the magic is just beginning!

And we—and millions of kids—can’t thank you enough.

Official press release

We’re overwhelmed! Thanks to your outstanding support, we’ve had an amazing experience this last month with our Be Book Smart campaign with Macy’s.

All around the country, we’ve been supported by $3 donations through the purchase of our Be Book Smart coupons at Macy’s stores. This coupon offers a discount to shoppers, but the full $3 goes directly to RIF and that means directly towards getting a book for a kid in need.

There’s so much to be excited about already and we can’t do what we do best without the support of Book People like you. So thank you!

But wait, let’s have the RIF kids tell you in their own words:

— 4 DAYS LEFT! Be Book Smart ends July 21st—so if you haven’t had a chance to stop by a Macy’s store, now is the time.

We’re pumped! Book People nationwide have been turning out to support the Be Book Smart campaign.  And with three weeks left, there’s time to get involved in a lot of different ways.

Here are a few ways to show your support:

• Shop till you drop. That’s right. Head to your local Macy’s and bring your friends. Ask for a Be Book Smart coupon (or three – they can be used together) at the register to save big on your purchase and support RIF.

• Enter to win. We’re giving away $500 Macy’s gift cards every week. And it’s easy to get involved. Just ask Tiffany, our first winner.  She just headed to our Facebook app, chose a fun quote from a favorite author to share with her friends and then entered to win.

• Tweet it up. Do you tweet? If so, save the date: July 10, 2013. At 1 p.m. EST you’ll have more chances to win Macy’s gift cards through our #BeBookSmart Twitter Party.

• Spread the word. Not on social? Or have big shoppers in your life who aren’t Facebookers? Give Aunt Glenda a call and let her know about the campaign. And while you’re in the store, be sure to tell the associate how much you love that your purchase is getting books to kids in need.

From all your friends at Reading Is Fundamental, thanks for Being Book Smart for the kids we serve!

For more information on the campaign, go to RIF.org/Macys.

Get inspired this summer.

This year marks RIF and Macy’s 10 year partnership and together we’ve been able to donate 10 million books to kids in need. Today marks the beginning of our Be Book Smart campaign, a month-long fundraising campaign for RIF and our largest fundraiser of the year. So celebrate and get involved in giving books to kids in need in two ways.

Need a new swimsuit for summer? Visit your local Macy’s store and get a $3 coupon that will donate directly to RIF and will provide a book to kids in need. When you do, you’ll receive $10* off of a $50 Macy’s purchase.

But you can also support RIF right from your home or on your phone.

Share our author quotes with your friends online and you’ll be entered into a sweepstakes to win a $500 Macy’s gift card.

Want more opportunities to help spread the word about our campaign and win Macy’s gift cards?

We’ll be hosting a Twitter party for our #BeBookSmart campaign on July 10, 2013, at 1PM EST where your responses will be chosen at random to win a $50 Macy’s gift card. RT our tweets and you’ll also be entered to win a $25 Macy’s gift card.

So get out there. Get inspired. And get online!

*exclusions and restrictions apply

NBC Today Show anchors Natalie Morales and Willie Geist deliver the results of a new survey from Reading Is Fundamental and Macy’s. The anchors also talk about their experiences reading with their own children, with Natalie Morales treating viewers to her special version of ‘Goodnight Moon.’ Trouble with the video? Watch it on today.com

The numbers are in — only one in three parents reads bedtime stories to their child each night.

Despite all we know, few parents with kids age eight and younger are engaged in nightly reading, according to the new survey from Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) and Macy’s. The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, finds that only one in three parents (33 percent) read bedtime stories with their children every night, and 50 percent of parents say their children spend more time with TV or video games than with books.

Join us to keep bedtime stories alive! This marks the 10th year of our partnership with Macy’s, and we stand poised to deliver our 10 millionth book to children in need nationwide this summer.

Help us get more books to more children in need. From June 21 to July 21, visit your local Macy’s store to participate in our Be Book Smart campaign. Customers coast-to-coast can give $3 at any Macy’s register in-store to help provide a book for a child in their local community. Macy’s will donate the full amount to RIF, and customers will receive a coupon for $10 off an in-store purchase of $50 or more. Last year, Macy’s helped to raise $4.8 million for RIF, providing 1.6 million books to children in need.

  Bedtime Stories Infographic by Reading Is Fundamental

But then came cupcakes, Clifford and members of Congress.

Our annual See What’s Brewing with RIF event on Capitol Hill was a great opportunity to showcase the work of RIF programs nationwide and to talk to policymakers about RIF’s work getting books to kids in need.

Thanks to everyone who came to our event, who shared their own stories of RIF in action, and who pledged to stand by us in our work to ensure every child has the books and literacy resources they need to succeed. Guessing the cupcakes didn’t hurt either?

Keep the dialogue going by telling your Member of Congress about the work that RIF is doing. http://www.rif.org/us/get-involved/advocate/action-center.htm

Photo Source: kynan tait 

It’s pretty clear being a mom takes a lot of work – and we celebrate all that work with a single day?

Thanks to Macy’s, we’ve now got two whole weeks, with a big bonus for RIF.

Sunday, April 28th through Mother’s Day, send a Macy’s Mother’s Day card to all the moms in your life on Facebook and Macy’s will donate $2 to RIF for every card sent. You can send up to 10 cards a day via email and up to 15 cards a day via Facebook, every day!

So get celebrating this Sunday. Be sure to choose Reading Is Fundamental when you’re selecting your card – and help children in need get the books they so desperate deserve.

Photo Source: slopjop

Reading Is Fundamental is a 501(c)3 tax-deductible organization (Tax ID# 52-097-6257). Your contribution will help us provide free books and literacy resources to children who need them most.

We had an incredible time in Austin last week, celebrating books with Reading Is Fundamental friends and volunteers.

We kicked off the trip with a wonderful discussion of the book “Miss Lady Bird’s Wildflowers.” Lynda Johnson Robb, a founding board member of RIF, shared her mother’s legacy along with Kathi Appelt and Joy Fisher Hein, who wrote and illustrated the book.

Luci Baines Johnson also praised Lynda’s longtime support of RIF, sharing an especially touching story about their mother as a child.

Miss Lady Bird lost her mother at an early age.  One day, her daddy, seeing she was sad, asked what he could do to help. She said, “No daddy, you can’t help. It’s OK.”

He pressed her more, asking if he could at least try. The child said, “Oh daddy, no, you can’t help. It’s just that I miss momma so much. And momma used to read to me. I really miss momma and reading.”

Her father responded, “Well, honey, I can read to you.”

The child stopped, shocked, and said with surprise, “Daddy, you can read?”

Even at that young age, Miss Lady Bird couldn’t understand why someone who could read wouldn’t be reading all the time.

The legacy of the Johnson family is large in Austin and it was at the LBJ Library that the next event was held. At a Book People Unite celebration, families met authors Chris Barton, Cynthia Leitich Smith and Tim Tingle, who all have books in RIF’s Multicultural Book Collections. Curious George joined the festivities, as did Kay Gooch, one of RIF’s Volunteer of the Year Award recipients. Parents and kids from Kay’s school, Gullett Elementary, and the families from the Book Spring program, which runs the RIF program in the city, had a great time.

The trip was capped off with a very special book distribution at Campbell Elementary School, a school where 94 percent of the children come from economically disadvantaged homes. Children were treated to a special “trip” where they boarded a magical cardboard airplane – complete with window seats and belt buckles – took a flight to pick out their books. Librarian Sherry Rojas and Book Spring’s Jill Gonzalez made it a memorable adventure for the children – and for the RIF staff in who joined them on their journey.

The entire trip was made possible thanks to RIF’s longtime partnership with Macy’s. Stay tuned for ways you can support our partnership this summer!

Photo, left to right: Kay Gooch, Kathi Appelt, Lynda Johnson Robb, Joy Fisher Hein; photo by: Jack Plunkett/AP Images for Reading Is Fundamental

• 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!

It may be five years old, but this clip is timeless in both its ability to amuse and inspire.

The kids who reach the level of national spelling bees are amazing to watch. Many of them start out at small spelling bees held at their schools or community centers. And their parents encourage them at home with flash cards and spelling games at the kitchen table.

Have a budding bee champion in your family? RIF is partnering with Macy’s for our 7th Annual Spelling Bee in 27 cities across the nation — open to kids ages 8 to 11. Events run from August 25 to September 22.

We can’t guarantee another numnah moment but it’s sure to be fun for all. Check out the Macy’s website for more details, including some great prizes … iPad anyone?