Read to Them launched its 2020 nationwide reading initiative. The program is intended to help build a sense of community by creating conversation and engagement around a single children’s book each month through August 2020.
The inaugural title for 2020 is A Boy Called BAT, by Elana K. Arnold, published by Walden Pond Press, an imprint of HarperCollins Children’s Books.
“We’re excited to offer this program to families across the nation to help create a sense of connection around a shared reading experience,” said Read to Them Executive Director Christa Donohue. “#OneBookConnects provides opportunities for students, parents, and educators to interact through trivia questions, daily activities, and challenges connected to a book that everyone is reading together.”
Read to Them will promote A Boy Called BAT, by Elana K. Arnold in a variety of media formats, as well as providing engagement resources via e-mail, social media, and its website. Arnold has recorded a video greeting, the first chapter of the book, and will be available for an online interview to engage with students via social media.
Watch a video greeting from the author of A Boy Called BAT.
Read to Them will share daily readings of A Boy Called BAT via live its social media channels. HarperCollins Children’s Books will sponsor a grand prize for Read to Them’s national contest: #onebookconnects, sending author Arnold for a visit to the winning school when schools are back in session.
“Read to Them’s family literacy program, One School One Book, is an incredible tool for fostering kids’ love of books and deepening a connection between home and school,” says author Elana K. Arnold. “I’m proud to join with Read to Them to help make A BOY CALLED BAT accessible to a wide range of families. One of the most comforting things we can do right now—for our children and ourselves—is read aloud.”
A Boy Called BAT is a children’s novel about a young boy who learns more about how to interact with his peers and family when he begins to care for an abandoned baby skunk.
A Boy Called BAT (book or ebook) can be purchased on Amazon. Families can keep up with the title at Read to Them on Instagram Live or Facebook Live with daily readings (IG at 1:00 and FB at 7:00).
The #OneBookConnects program will run through August 2020 with a new title featured each month. With schools closed and students sequestered across the country, the new program offers a novel method for families and schools to engage via social media during now and during the summer.
To order the latest book and get access to Read to Them family resources, go here.
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Read to Them is a Richmond based non-profit promoting family literacy, with literacy programs that have reached over 2 million families in over 3,000 schools in all 50 states. A growing body of research demonstrates that children who are read to at home become better readers, are more confident in school, and experience greater academic success. Literacy skills provide the basis for a lifetime of learning and productivity.
For more information: ReadToThem.org.
To read an article on Read to Them that was previously published in RFM, go here.
