McDonald’s spreads lovin’
through the joy of reading by providing beloved childhood classics in
Happy Meals with HarperCollins Children’s Books & Reading Is
Fundamental
TOLEDO, OHIO, Jan. 12, 2014 – McDonald’s USA is inviting families in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan to celebrate
the joy of reading with the second installment of Happy Meal Books.
From
Jan. 9-22, McDonald’s will offer books as the toy in Happy Meals,
providing more than 17 million books to families across the U.S. Through
a new collaboration
with HarperCollins Children’s Books, families will be able to enjoy a
collection of four classic, Happy Meal-sized books:
“If
You Give a Mouse a Cookie,” “Big Nate: In a Class by Himself”
(abridged), “Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses” and “Flat Stanley
Goes Camping.”
Each
book, which also has a related activity element, brings imagination and
play to life in a way that only McDonald’s can. Books are available in
English and, in select locations, in Spanish.
“This
is the latest step in our ongoing efforts to enrich the lives of
families in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan, and part of a broader
book strategy to
combine the fun of the Happy Meal and support of our partners to
inspire more family reading time,” said Tim Sloan, Co-Op President,
McDonald’s Restaurants of Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. “For
the second time in two years, we’re proud to invite families
to spread the spirit of learning and lovin’ that’s synonymous with our
brand through these fun, classic Happy Meal Books.”
McDonald’s is again collaborating with Reading Is Fundamental (www.RIF.org),
the largest children’s literacy non-profit in the U.S. Together, they
aim to help more children and their families discover the joy of
reading. RIF will also distribute 100,000 Happy Meal Books to children
who do not have easy access to books. Happy Meal
Books are also supported by new partner HarperCollins (www.hc.com), one of the leading and best regarded publishers
of children’s books.
“Books
are essential for inspiring children to explore, dream and achieve, yet
far too many children do not have access to this basic resource,” said
Reading Is
Fundamental CEO Carol Hampton Rasco. “For the second time, we’re
partnering with McDonald’s, another organization that embraces the
transformative power of books. Together, we’ll continue to enrich kids’
lives through access to books and by putting the fun
back in reading.”
Books Reinforce Ongoing Commitment to Children’s Happiness and Well-Being
McDonald’s
Happy Meal Books are among the company’s latest actions supporting a
commitment to champion children’s happiness and well-being. McDonald’s
aims to inspire
kids to engage in active and imaginative play in a fun way and develop a
sense of community.
In
November 2013, McDonald’s and RIF introduced four limited-edition,
original Happy Meal books. During that two-week period in November,
McDonald’s restaurants
distributed about 17 million books to kids nationwide.
The new books follow a number of enhancements McDonald’s has made to the Happy Meal in recent years, including:
·In
December 2014, McDonald’s introduced a new fresh, whole fruit side
option in Happy Meals and Mighty Kids Meals – Cuties California
Clementines. Cuties are available now through
their peak season in March 2015.
·In July 2014, McDonald’s began offering
Go-GURT® low fat
Strawberry Yogurt as an additional side option for Happy Meals and
Mighty Kids Meals. The Go- GURT® offered in Happy Meals has 25 percent
less sugar than the leading kids’ yogurt.
Go-GURT at McDonald’s has 6g of sugar per 2.25 oz. The leading kids’ yogurt has 9g of sugar per 2.25 oz.
·Since
2013, McDonald’s has been automatically offering fruit or low-fat dairy
in kids’ meals, along with a smaller kids-sized fry and choice of a
low-fat dairy option like 1%
low-fat white milk or fat-free chocolate milk.
·In 2011, McDonald’s announced its
“Commitments
to Offer Improved Nutrition Choices” to ensure 100 percent of McDonald’s national kids’ communications include a nutrition or active lifestyle message.
·Since 2010, a portion of proceeds from each Happy Meal sold goes to support Ronald McDonald House Charities.
Each Happy Meal Book Includes an Activity
·“If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”written by Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond. Activity:
Roll the die and advance your game piece, be the first to complete the “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” mini board game.
·“Big Nate: In a Class by Himself”
(abridged) by Lincoln Peirce and available with stickers. Activity: Learn how to draw Nate.
·“Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses” by Kimberly and James Dean. Activity: Design your own sunglasses,
available as a paper cutout to color and wear.
·“Flat Stanley Goes Camping” by Jeff Brown, illustrated by Macky Pamintuan. Activity: Color your own
Flat Stanley and pose for a photo at your favorite landmark.
To
enter McDonald’s Restaurants of Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan’s
Giveaway for the chance to win a set of all four Happy Meal Books,
follow @McDonalds_NWOH
on Twitter. Official rules are available at: http://mcdonaldspromotions.com/toledo/.
About McDonald's
McDonald's
USA, LLC serves a variety of menu options made with quality ingredients
to more than 26 million customers every day. Nearly 90 percent of
McDonald's 14,000 U.S. restaurants are
independently owned and operated by businessmen and women. The
McDonald’s Co-Op of Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan has 68
restaurants in 15 counties. Customers can now log online for free at any
of the 11,500 participating Wi-Fi enabled McDonald’s U.S.
restaurants. For more information, visit http://www.mcdonalds.com/ or follow us on Twitter (@McDonalds_NWOH)
and Facebook (Facebook.com/McDonalds).
About HarperCollins Children’s Books
HarperCollins Children’s Books is one of the leading publishers of children’s and teen books. Respected worldwide for its tradition of publishing
quality, award-winning books for young readers, HarperCollins is home to many timeless treasures and bestsellers such as
Charlotte’s Web, Goodnight Moon, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Where the Wild Things Are, The Graveyard Book
and series including The Chronicles of Narnia, Ramona, Warriors,
Pete the Cat, Fancy Nancy, Divergent, and The Selection. Consistently at
the forefront of digital innovation, HarperCollins Children’s Books
delights readers through engaging storytelling
in all formats, including ebooks and apps. HarperCollins Children’s
Books is a division of HarperCollins Publishers, one of the leading
English-language publishers in the world and a subsidiary of News Corp
(NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV). Headquartered
in New York, HarperCollins has operations in 18 countries. You can
visit HarperCollins Children’s Books at
www.harpercollinschildrens.com
and www.epicreads.comand HarperCollins
Publishers at www.hc.com
About Reading Is Fundamental
Reading
Is Fundamental (RIF) delivers free books and literacy resources to
children and families in underserved communities in the United States.
By giving children the opportunity to own
a book, RIF inspires them to become lifelong readers and achieve their
full potential. As the nation's largest children's literacy nonprofit,
RIF has placed 412 million books in the hands of more than 40 million
children since it was established in 1966. To
learn more, visit RIF.orgor
connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
Trademarks and/or registered trademarks are owned by their respective companies.