As if you ever needed an excuse to buy a book, Disney Publishing has sweetened the deal with its latest First Book campaign. The Washington, DC-based non-profit works to put brand-new, high-interest, leveled books into low-income area classrooms, giving both the students and their teachers a much-needed boost in materials to improve literacy.
What does that have to do with your book buying habits? Plenty. Disney Publishing is not only donating a book for each title purchased during the campaign, they’re also offering consumers plenty of other low-key ways to help this project.
According to a report by Porter Anderson for Publishing Perspectives, “Disney will donate a title to First Book for each eligible Disney book bought at a Disney Store location or through a participating retailer. Supporters are also encouraged to send in selfies taken with their favorite book(s), for which Disney, again, will donate titles to the campaign. And consumers 13 and older can enter a sweepstakes for a trip to Disney’s resort, Aulani, in Ko Olina Hawaii, each entry generating another book donation from Disney.”
That’s three different ways for you to ensure that needy classrooms have high-quality, engaging books, while also benefiting from a great title (and possibly a vacation!) yourself. But they’re not done…for every title read within the subscription-based Disney Story Central app during the campaign, the publisher will donate yet another book to a classroom served by First Book.
Why should classrooms promote Disney titles to their students? The connection between a film or television show and the same characters on the page is profound, especially for at-risk and low-ability readers. Providing students who may already be struggling with reaching their reading milestones with Disney books can draw on their prior knowledge, meaning the interest is there but so is the frame of reference for understanding the content and context.
For a complete list of titles and retailers eligible for this campaign, refer to the following Disney Publishing list.
Mercy Pilkington is a Senior Editor for Good e-Reader. She is also the CEO and founder of a hybrid publishing and consulting company.
