McDonald's to Offer Over 20 Million Books to Families with Happy Meal Promotion
By: Christina Mancuso Oct. 10, 2013
- Partnership with literacy non-profit Reading is Fundamental will give an additional 100,000 books to kids nationwide
- McDonald's two-year book offering: anytime access to reading with new interactive digital books through 2014, second installation of Happy Meal Books to be offered in 2015
In time for National Family Literacy Day on Nov. 1, McDonald's USA is inviting families to celebrate the joy of reading with the launch of a new Happy Meal Books promotion.
From Nov. 1 - Nov. 14, McDonald's will offer books in print for Happy Meal customers, providing more than 20 million books to families across the U.S. Throughout the two-week Happy Meal Books offer, families will be able to enjoy four original books featuring McDonald's Happy Meal characters. Each limited-edition book brings nutrition, imagination and play to life in a fun way.
"We're excited to invite families to spend time together and celebrate the joy of reading through these fun and original Happy Meal Books," said Ubong Ituen, vice president of marketing for McDonald's USA. "This is the latest step in our ongoing efforts to enrich the lives of families, and part of a broader book strategy that will combine the fun of the Happy Meal, new partners and technology to inspire more family reading time."
As part of the launch of Happy Meal Books, McDonald's is collaborating with Reading is Fundamental (RIF), the largest children's literacy non-profit in the U.S., to help more children and their families discover the joy of reading. RIF will distribute 100,000 Happy Meal Books to children who do not have easy access to books.
"Books are essential for inspiring children to explore, dream, and achieve, yet far too many children do not have this basic resource," said Reading is Fundamental CEO Carol Hampton Rasco. "To change this unfortunate reality, RIF is uniting with McDonald's, a company that embraces the transformative power of books and is committed to helping families and communities thrive. Together, McDonald's and RIF can truly help enrich kids' lives through access to books and by putting the fun back into reading."
e-Books to Launch November 1
Also starting on Nov. 1, McDonald's will give families anytime access to reading with a new interactive digital book each month through the end of 2014.
The free interactive e-books will be available on McPlay, McDonald's Happy Meal App, and will allow kids to read, discover and explore exciting new worlds. McDonald's has partnered with DK Publishing, an award winning global publisher, to offer educational and entertaining content for customers the first e-book introduces DK's Amazing World Series, with "The World's Greatest Cities."
Kids will also be able to engage with an interactive digital version of McDonald's Happy Meal print book, "The Goat Who Ate Everything" via the McPlay app.
The Happy Meal Books, as well as the DK Publishing e-books, will also be available for download at HappyMeal.com. Spanish versions of McDonald's Happy Meal Books will be available on McDonalds.com and MeEncanta.com.
Books Reinforce Ongoing Commitment to Children's Happiness and Well-Being
McDonald's new Happy Meal Books are the company's latest action supporting a commitment to champion children's happiness and well-being by inspiring kids in a fun way to learn about nutrition, engage in active and imaginative play and develop a sense of community.
The new books follow a number of enhancements McDonald's has made to the Happy Meal over in recent years including:
- McDonald's 2011 "Commitments to Offer Improved Nutrition Choices," to ensure 100% of McDonald's national kids' communications include a nutrition or active lifestyle message.
- Since 2013, the automatic inclusion of apple slices, a smaller kids-sized fry and the choice of a low-fat dairy option like 1% low-fat white milk or fat-free chocolate milk.
- Since 2010, a portion of proceeds from each Happy Meal sold goes to support Ronald McDonald House Charities.
About Happy Meal Books
The four limited-edition books include:
- "The Goat Who Ate Everything" Tells a story of a goat who has a big appetite and struggles to eat right. But when he does, he feels great and becomes the playful 'kid' everyone loves.
- "Deana's Big Dreams" Shares how Deana, the world's smallest dinosaur, grew tall by eating right.
- "Ant, Can't" Features Ant, a bite-sized bodybuilder who's big on encouraging physical fitness through exercise and eating right.
- "Doddi the Dodo Goes to Orlando" Follows happy-go-lucky bird Doddi who travels the world. She eats right because this dodo is always on the go-go.
McDonald's is already planning its next Happy Meal Books program, scheduled to be released in 2015.
For more information about Happy Meal Books, visit www.McDonalds.com.
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. Approximately 90 percent of McDonald's 14,000 U.S. restaurants are owned and operated by independent businessmen and women. Customers can now log online for free at approximately 11,500 participating Wi-Fi enabled McDonald's U.S. restaurants. For more information, visit www.mcdonalds.com, or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
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 410 million books in the hands of more than 39 million children since it was established in 1966. To learn more, visit RIF.org or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.
Trademarks and/or registered trademarks are owned by their respective companies.
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