New York, NY — May 6, 2011 — Twelve original works of art created by some of the top children’s book illustrators and featuring some of the most beloved characters in children’s literature are now available on auction at charitybuzz.com through June 5, 2011. Net proceeds from the auction will benefit the literacy organizations Reading Is Fundamental and Reach Out and Read, organizations that provide books to underserved children and are suffering from recent federal funding cuts.

The artwork, ranging from pen and ink sketches to acrylic and watercolor paintings to digital art, was commissioned by Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education and media company, as part of the company’s 90th Anniversary global literacy campaign, Read Every Day. Lead A Better Life. Artists were asked to provide their own artistic interpretations of the campaign message, underscoring the importance of reading in the lives of young people. The resulting art captures the whimsy, the imagination, the adventure and the humor to be found in great children’s books.

"At Scholastic, we believe that books are key to ensuring that children have access to a world of big ideas," said David Saylor, VP and Creative Director of Scholastic Trade Publishing, and the curator of the collection. "We are proud to have brought some of today’s most talented children’s artists together to raise awareness of the critical role that books play in all of our lives."

Artists participating in the project are: Norman Bridwell, creator of Clifford the Big Red Dog®; Bruce Degen, illustrator of The Magic School Bus® series; Mary GrandPré, illustrator of the U.S. editions of the Harry Potter series; Jeff Smith, author/illustrator of the BONE graphic novels; David Shannon, author/illustrator of No, David! and its sequels; Jon J Muth, author/illustrator of Zen Ties and Zen Shorts; Mark Teague, author/illustrator of the LaRue series and illustrator of the How Do Dinosaurs...? series; Stephen Savage, author/illustrator of Where's Walrus?; Edwin Fotheringham, illustrator of Tony Baloney; Barbara McClintock, illustrator of fairy-tale retellings; Sean Qualls, illustrator of Dizzy; and RainaTelgemeier, author/illustrator of Smile.

To extend the reach of the Read Every Day. Lead a Better Life campaign message to millions of children worldwide, Scholastic is making poster editions of the twelve works of art available for schools, libraries and literacy organizations. Posters will also go on sale exclusive at www.scholasticstore.com on June 6, 2011.

For more information about the artwork or to access the auction, please visit www.scholastic.com/readeveryday.

For photos of the twelve illustrators during events on May 5th, please visit http://insiderimag.es/ScholasticCharityAuction.

For more information about Scholastic, please visit http://mediaroom.scholastic.com.

Contacts:

Cathy Lasiewicz
clasiewicz@scholastic.com
212.343.6570

Yanique Hart
yhart@scholastic.com
212.343.6901