Reach Out and Read and Scholastic, are proud to launch “35 for 35”, a new, one-of-a-kind children’s book collection that celebrates the vibrant communities, inclusive families, and diverse cultures of the tens of millions of children served across the non-profit’s history. This collection has been exclusively created for Reach Out and Read in celebration of the organization's 35th anniversary.
Together, Reach Out and Read and Scholastic will distribute 350,000 free books to children all over the country during well-clinic visits. These fun and relatable stories feature important themes, such as culture and identity, from best-selling authors and literary award winners, including American poet Nikki Giovanni, author and educator Joanna Ho, basketball star Lebron James, and children’s book author Tami Charles. See the full list of books and authors here!
Marty Martinez, CEO of Reach Out and Read says: “Reach Out and Read wants parents and their young children to build lifelong bonds over shared reading. To do that, we must provide access to books that authentically mirror their lives or offer a window into others’, which is critical in those early years. We collaborated with Scholastic on this collection because of their reach and their ability to work with publishing partners to include as many titles, authors, and illustrators as possible. Through our network of clinicians, we will now put those meaningful, joyous books in the hands of families who might not otherwise have them.”
Judy Newman, Chief Impact Officer at Scholastic says: “Capable, innovative and driven partners, like Reach Out and Read, who share our vision of reading for all children and are committed to working together, are the key to changing the trajectory of today’s literacy crisis. Scholastic is proud of our partnership with Reach Out and Read, and we are ready to make the 35 for 35 collection goals a reality through high-quality, inclusive, representative books for all children, and the efficient fulfillment network to support Reach Out and Read’s distribution to those children and their families. Reach Out and Read’s mission to link reading to wellness starting with newborns is beautifully expressed through this collection and signals a bold new chapter in their commitment to ensuring all children have a bright, literate future.”
This work is critical, as nearly half of children who are Black or Hispanic have a difficult time finding books with characters who are like them, and over half of Black and Hispanic children age nine or older wish there were more books with diversity available (Scholastic Kids and Family Reading Report™).
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