Students, we’re going to keep this snappy – want to win a $500 college store gift card? Whip out your smartphone, snap a selfie of your beautiful face in your college store, and share on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using #GIVEME5NSD to enter – that’s it!

And we haven’t even got to the best part yet… for every entry, $1 is donated to RIF, up to $5,000! So, basically you get to support children’s literacy just for doing what you’d normally get up to on social media!

The contest runs September 24 to October 22, and National Student Day is on October 8. Check out www.NationalStudentDay.com to find out more about this awesome event, with campus stores across the U.S. and Canada holding in-store celebrations thanking their students.

Now get out there, get snapping, and #GIVEME5NSD!

Joining in the fun were members of the Girl Scouts and Kappa Kappa Gamma, who came along to hand out books and spread word of the giveaway! By the end of the day, the entire zoo was a sea of yellow RIF bags and stickers, and more than a thousand children went home with books to call their own.

RIF’s participation in ZooFiesta came thanks to a Good Neighbor Citizenship Grant from State Farm.

We love to roar for reading and we’re wild about books, so it’s no surprise that RIF is coming to ZooFiesta! If you’re in the Washington DC area on Sunday September 20, head on over to the National Zoo from 10am to 2pm to receive a  free children’s book and cool RIF gear! RIF is participating thanks to a Good Neighbor Citizenship Grant from our friends at State Farm, and in the spirit of the occasion we’ve got some animal-themed book recommendations to share with you!

8: An Animal Alphabet by Elisha Cooper

This is an alphabet book with a twist! Going alphabetically, every page features various different animals. But you’ll have to look carefully, because for each letter one animal gets eight separate illustrations! At the end, you’ll find fun facts about every animal. Did you know that guinea pigs hop when they get excited?

Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae & Guy Parker-Rees

All Gerald the Giraffe wants to do is dance, but with his gangly legs and crooked knees, it’s not easy! But when he gets some words of encouragement from an unlikely friend, Gerald is finally able to dance to his own tune! Packed with energetic illustrations and rollicking rhymes, this is perfect read for lively little ones!

Ivan: The Remarkable True Story of the Shopping Mall Gorilla

by Katherine Applegate & G. Brian Karas

Captured as a baby, a young gorilla named Ivan was stuck in a cage in a Tacoma, Washington, mall to attract shoppers. This touching picture book adaptation of a true story shows how public pressure and protesting citizens rescued Ivan and sent him to a better environment at Atlanta Zoo. Ivan’s story made a huge impact on how people saw animals, and this is a great way to introduce children to animal welfare!

Make a Guest Dot Sign-In

Get a large sheet of paper on an easel next to a collection of markers and crayons. Make sure that everyone who comes in makes their own special dot on the paper, and encourage them to get creative!

Group Dot

Cover a round table with craft paper to make a giant “dot” and ask students to work in groups to fill-in the dot together! See what emerges as students negotiate the use of space and relationships among shapes and colors within the dot!

Make Dotty Name Tags

Have kids decorate dot-shaped name tags for their lockers by making a collage of pictures that say something about themselves.

And Finally… Don’t Forget to Read The Dot!

Peter Reynolds’ delightful book tells the story of Vashti, who is convinced that she can’t draw. To prove her point, she jabs at a piece of paper to make one simple, angry dot. But that one little dot is just the beginning, in this delicate fable about the creative spirit in all of us!

Help spread the word about International Dot Day by registering at http://www.thedotclub.org/dotday/register

Why has Books-a-Million chosen to support children’s literacy as a priority issue?


We value reading and literacy as if it were our job – because it is. One the greatest gifts you receive as a book seller is when you see reading make a difference to a child. When a child’s eyes light up and you see their imagination going it puts a smile on your face. For a child, reading helps them discover who they are as a person. We have a responsibility to make a difference and help those children who need it the most.

As one of the largest book retailers, what are some of the trends you are seeing in the industry?


As we navigate the digital era, one of the constants is that children’s book sales are continuing to grow steadily as a new generation of parents embraces the physical book as the best way to bond with and educate their kids. These young “readers” have then fueled the incredible rise of teen and tween literature in recent years.


Another major trend is the influence of media and social media in driving the sales of physical books. The bestseller lists are consistently a reflection of the broader media environment, from movies, to video games, to social media personalities and more.


Do you have any favorite children’s books? Did you have a favorite book as a child?


We have a wonderful curated selection in our stores that we call “50 Books To Read Before You’re 5”. As a parent my favorite from this assortment is Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight Moon. I love the theatricality of the book and “performed “ it for my young children at countless times at bedtime. As a child I was a huge fan of the Hardy Boys series and the seemingly never-ending number of stories in the series. I devoured these.

“Dear Macy’s, You are like a superhero to my school because we haven’t had RIF in a long, long time, but because of you we got it this year.” — Katie, 3rd grade

“Dear Macy’s, When I first got a free book, I felt so happy, and I wanted to thank whoever let it happen. And now I’m thanking YOU!” — Juliana, 4th grade

“Dear Macy’s, Some of the books I liked and some of the books I loved. Thank you!” — Zachory, 3rd grade

We’re in our eighth year of partnering with Macy’s and have a lot of success stories. But there’s nothing like hearing a kid talk about what it means

Consider Joplin, Missouri. Last May, the community was hit with the worst tornado in the U.S. in more than six decades. Through the support of Macy’s and customers like you, RIF held two events for families and a training for teachers, giving away 2,600 books. For the kids who lost everything, these books represented a return to normalcy amid disaster.

And that’s just one story. There are countless others. Stories of building home libraries, stocking school libraries and rebuilding communities.

Tomorrow our “Be Book Smart” campaign with Macy’s launches. It’s our biggest fundraiser of the year. We’ll have all the details for you in the morning and will keep you updated throughout.

But, before the excitement starts, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on all that’s been possible. Dear Macy’s, To you and your wonderful customers, thank you. — RIF