Dav Pilkey
to donate 50,000 books to support Little Free Libraries
in underserved communities, the first to be unveiled on
March 19
NEW
YORK, March 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Scholastic,
the global children's publishing, education and media company, and
the Little Free Library (LFL) nonprofit organization whose mission
is to expand book access, are excited to announce their "Power
Up with Reading" initiative to grant Dog Man–themed Little Free
Library book-sharing boxes to sites catering to children and
families across all 50 United States. Dog Man author and
illustrator Dav Pilkey, in
coordination with Scholastic and Little Free Library, will donate
50,000 books to support these libraries and help ignite a passion
for reading.
The first Dog Man Little Free Library will be unveiled at a
school in Cleveland, Ohio,
Pilkey's birthplace, on March 19—which is also the global
publication date of Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder, the
newest book in the wildly popular series. Additional Dog Man Little
Free Library installations are planned for Washington, DC, New
York City, Atlanta,
Baltimore, Detroit, Houston, New
Orleans, Phoenix,
Portland, Madison, and San
Francisco, with more cities to be announced.
Each Dog Man Little Free Library box will include free copies of
Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder, as well as a wide assortment
of children's titles from Scholastic's "The Power of Story''
collection which aims to highlight books featuring diverse
characters and stories. The book giveaway, provided by and courtesy
of Dav Pilkey, will reach communities that are part of Little
Free Library's "Impact Library" program which focuses on granting
book-exchanges in under-resourced communities.
In a statement, Dav Pilkey said,
"When I was a kid, I have fond memories of going to the library
where my mom would let me pick out whatever books I wanted to read.
This is how I came to associate reading with love. I'm grateful to
the many librarians, teachers, and the teams at Little Free Library
and Scholastic. Their commitment and dedication to getting books
into the hands of kids, especially those in underserved
communities, is life-changing. They are real-life superheroes."
Dav Pilkey's artwork on the
Little Free Library boxes includes the "Power Up with Reading"
message and features Dog Man, along with other well-loved
characters in his bestselling Captain Underpants and Cat Kid Comic
Club series.
Apply to receive a Dog Man Little Free Library
You can
bring a Dog Man Little Free Library to your community, too!
Child-focused organizations in the U.S. are encouraged to apply to
receive a library and nearly 1,000 Scholastic books. Fill out the
application form to be considered: Dog Man Library application
link
Enter to win Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder
In
tandem with the Little Free Library installations and to celebrate
the release of the 12th book in the Dog Man series, LFL
is hosting a book giveaway, in collaboration with Scholastic, for
Dog Man: The Scarlet Shedder. All Dog Man fans in the U.S.
and Canada can enter to win one of
1,200 copies of The Scarlet Shedder: Book giveaway entry
form link
"As Dav Pilkey's longtime publisher, we have seen how his books
have inspired a generation of children to love reading. Over the
years, we have also seen firsthand Dav's personal commitment to
schools, libraries, bookstores, and organizations that support kids
and communities in need," said Ellie
Berger, President, Scholastic Trade. "We are proud to
collaborate with Dav and Little Free Library on this exciting new
initiative that celebrates book joy and highlights the importance
of book access for all children."
"It is an honor to be working with such global children's
literature brands as Scholastic and Dav
Pilkey's Dog Man," said Little Free Library Executive
Director Greig Metzger. "At Little
Free Library, we strive to be the connective fiber between book
resources, community partners and book access points. Our
collaboration with Scholastic, Dav
Pilkey and over 50 local partners across the country is a
wonderful example of how our mission is realized and delivered. We
hope that through this project, more children will be inspired to
grab a book and read."
ABOUT LITTLE FREE LIBRARY
Little Free Library® (LFL)
is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that builds community,
inspires readers and expands book access for all through a global
network of volunteer-led Little Free Library book-sharing boxes.
There are more than 180,000 registered Little Free Libraries
worldwide in all 50 states, in 121 countries and on all seven
continents. Through them, over 400 million books have been shared
since 2009. LFL received the 2020 World Literacy Award as well as
honors from the Library of Congress, National Book Foundation and
others. The organization grants Little Free Libraries full of books
to underserved areas through its Impact Library and Indigenous
Library programs and champions diverse books through its Read in
Color initiative. To learn more, visit LittleFreeLibrary.org.
ABOUT DAV
PILKEY
Dav Pilkey has
created over 70 books for children and was awarded a Caldecott
Honor for his picture book The Paperboy. When Pilkey
was in second grade, he was diagnosed with dyslexia and what is now
widely known as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Because of his learning and behavioral issues in school, he was
often sent out in the hallway. It was in his elementary school
hallway where he created comic books about superheroes that
eventually became Captain Underpants and Dog Man. His Dog Man
series, launched to critical acclaim in 2016, was an instant #1
bestseller and has more than 60 million copies in print and
translations in 45 languages. DreamWorks Animation and Universal
Pictures recently announced that its movie adaptation of Dog Man
will be released in theaters worldwide on January 31, 2025. Pilkey's Captain Underpants
series, launched more than 25 years ago, has more than 90 million
copies in print, translated into 44 languages, and released as a
feature film by DreamWorks, as well as an original series on
Netflix. TheaterWorksUSA's musical adaptations of Dog Man and Cat
Kid Comic Club opened to rave reviews, were
both New York
Times Critics' Picks, and are currently touring
around North America and Australia. For more information about
Dav Pilkey and his books,
visit http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/davpilkey.
ABOUT SCHOLASTIC
For more than 100 years, Scholastic
Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) has been encouraging the personal and
intellectual growth of all children, beginning with literacy.
Having earned a reputation as a trusted partner to educators and
families, Scholastic is the world's largest publisher and
distributor of children's books, a leading provider of literacy
curriculum, professional services, and classroom magazines, and a
producer of educational and entertaining children's media. The
Company creates and distributes bestselling books and e-books,
print and technology-based learning programs for pre-K to grade 12,
and other products and services that support children's learning
and literacy, both in school and at home. With international
operations and exports in more than 135 countries, Scholastic makes
quality, affordable books available to all children around the
world through school-based book clubs and book fairs, classroom
libraries, school and public libraries, retail, and online. Learn
more at www.scholastic.com.
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SOURCE Scholastic Inc
