McDonalds to give away millions of children’s books
This month, branches of McDonalds across the country will be giving away around nine million children's books in their Happy Meals as part of a promotion which aims to get children and families reading together, improve literacy and increase children's creativity.
From today until 7th February copies of six stories from former Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo's Mudpuddle Farm series will be handed out free with Happy Meals. Finger puppets of characters from the series will accompany each book to encourage parents to read with and bring the stories to life with their children.
The promotion is being backed by Harper Collins, who publish the Mudpuddle Farm series, and The National Literacy Trust, whose recent research revealed that one in three children in Britain do not own a book. Director Jonathan Douglas said:
We are very supportive of McDonald’s decision to give families access to popular books, as its size and scale will be a huge leap towards encouraging more families to read together.
Having seen for ourselves how valuable just one book can be to children, and having reached so many with Our Read we think that such a promotion is a fantastic way to extend the reach of reading. Given that eight out of ten families with young children visit McDonalds at least once a year, it's great to know that they're contributing to getting more children reading.
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2 thoughts on “McDonalds to give away millions of children’s books”
As a parent who swore I’d never taken my children to McDonalds (but actually ended up taking them about once a month for a quiet life!) I am really pleased to hear this. The money that must be wasted on the plastic tat that usually comes in a happy meal and goes straight in the bin! Books AND finger puppets. Fabulous!
I am so pleased that McDonalds have decided to do this and share the gift of books with so many people. I have been lucky enough to have received a book and the amazing finger puppet that goes with it. Of course I have passed this on to a child to enjoy, although i was tempted to keep the finger puppet!