Contacts:
Alexandra Wladich, Scholastic, 212-965-7353 or awladich@scholastic.com
Josephine Djonovic, Scholastic, 212-343-6876 or jdjonovic@Scholastic.com

NEW YORK, NY—February 09, 2017—Recent data from the Scholastic Kids & Family Reading Report™: 6th Edition, revealed that kids ages 6–11 and their parents agree that they enjoy read-aloud time, the top reasons being it is a special time together and reading together is fun. In recognition of the power and joy of reading aloud, global literacy non-profit LitWorld and title sponsor Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education, and media company, are teaming up to host World Read Aloud Day on February 16, 2017. To find tools and tips to help you celebrate World Read Aloud Day, visit http://www.litworld.org/wrad/.

Now in its eighth year, World Read Aloud Day rallies individuals and organizations in more than 50 U.S. states, territories and the District of Columbia and more than 100 countries worldwide to call attention to the importance of reading aloud and sharing stories with children of all ages – even those who can read on their own. The same Kids & Family Reading Report shows the frequency of reading aloud to young children 5–7 days a week has increased since 2014 among parents with kids ages 3–5 (55% to 62%), yet there is still a significant drop in frequency after ages 5 and 8.

To help all families keep reading aloud and enjoying this special time together, World Read Aloud Day 2017 activities and resources can be found at: http://bit.ly/2kqGk7l and include:

• Facebook Live: On February 15 (3:30p.m. EST/ 12:30p.m. PST), Scholastic will host a Facebook Live event with Pam Allyn, Executive Director of LitWorld and founder of World Read Aloud Day. During the Facebook Live, Pam will provide her top tips on how to conduct a successful read aloud for all ages, followed by a read-aloud demonstration.
• Scholastic Reads Podcast: Scholastic Reads, a podcast about the joy and power of reading, will release a special episode on the importance of reading aloud to children. Guests include: actor, comedian, and author, Nick Cannon; author and Coretta Scott King Award winner, Andrea Davis Pinkney; and co-authors of Every Child a Super Reader, Pam Allyn and Ernest Morrell.
• Blogs for Parents and Educators: Nick Cannon and Pam Allyn will contribute special guest posts to Scholastic corporate blogs, On Our Minds and edu@scholastic, sharing personal experiences with reading aloud to their own children, and highlighting the importance of having read-aloud time in school.
• The Book Whisperer: Back to the Books: In her latest video episode for The Book Whisperer: Back to the Books, Donalyn Miller, Scholastic Book Fairs Manager of Independent Reading, explores the benefits of reading aloud and previews engaging read-aloud titles for K–8 students.
• Scholastic Book Fairs World Read Aloud Day Kit: Families and teachers can host their own read aloud party with the free downloadable Scholastic Book Fairs kit. The kit provides ideas for hosting a read aloud event and includes read aloud program materials, printable bookmarks, tips for facilitators and more! Throughout the month of February, the kit will be distributed to more than 1,200 school book fairs that will be held on or around World Read Aloud Day.
• Free Downloadable Resources: Free resources for scheduling virtual read aloud connections with published authors and other classrooms across the globe are available on the LitWorld website.
• The Super Reader Movement Contest: Now through March 1, 2017, educators in the U.S. can enter for a chance to win a 7 Strengths Classroom Library by sharing a story of how a struggling reader became a super reader. One grand prize winner will receive a $1,000.00 gift card to the Scholastic Teacher Store to create a Super Reader Classroom.
• Scholastic Reading Club: Scholastic Reading Club has provided more than 115,000 teachers with a quick guide book that includes top tips to empower all children as readers from the popular professional learning title Every Child a Super Reader. In addition, educators also received a “7 Strengths of a Super Reader” poster and a letter from Pam Allyn that introduces World Read Aloud Day and the critical importance of reading aloud.
• My Very Own Library Events: From February 14–22, Scholastic Book Fairs, in collaboration with the non-profit literacy organization My Very Own Library, will be hosting read aloud events at schools in Chicago, IL; Milwaukee, WI; Kansas City, MO; Newark, NJ; Richmond, CA; and Wilmington, DE. At each event, students will enjoy read aloud moments with popular Scholastic authors and will receive three brand-new books of their choice to add to their home library.

In addition, various Scholastic International locations are supporting World Read Aloud Day around the globe, including: Australia, Africa, Asia, Canada, India, Latin America, Puerto Rico, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and more. These locations will be hosting various read aloud family events at schools, bookstores and libraries, and sharing free downloadable read aloud resources for families and educators online.

QUOTES:

Pam Allyn, Executive Director of LitWorld:

“On this World Read Aloud Day, we gather with advocates around the world to share our message that all children must have access to the books, stories and imaginations they yearn for. Reading aloud with children not only helps them further develop their own literacy skills, but also empowers them to become lifelong readers.”

Dick Robinson, Chairman, President and CEO of Scholastic:

“Data from the Kids & Family Reading Report reveals just how much parents and kids value time spent reading together. Besides being joyful, reading aloud to children at an early age—and even after children can read aloud on their own—can have a profound effect on children’s language and literacy development and support their ability to think critically and communicate effectively. We are pleased to help spread these important messages to families, children and educators around the world on World Read Aloud Day.”

Join the conversation using #WRAD17.

For more information about LitWorld, visit http://www.litworld.org/.

For more information about Scholastic, visit the media room at http://mediaroom.scholastic.com.