Education nonprofit promotes high-quality early learning for all children through Read for the Record®

October 23, 2018 (BOSTON) —  On October 25, 2018, millions of adults and children across the country will come together to read the same book on the same day to celebrate Jumpstart’s Read for the Record. The early education nonprofit Jumpstart launched Read for the Record 13 years ago in a nationwide effort to raise awareness about the need for high-quality early learning for all children and the transformative power of books and reading to impact student learning and success.

This year’s Read for the Record book selection is Maybe Something Beautiful co-written by Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell, and illustrated by Rafael López. The book is based on an inspiring true story of neighbors coming together to create change and beauty in their community, and it is also available in an original Spanish-language edition, Quizás algo hermoso.

“The benefits of adults reading with children across all cultures and languages is tremendous, and we are very excited to feature the Spanish version of the book,” says Naila Bolus, President and CEO of Jumpstart. “Read for the Record is an opportunity to highlight the connection between a love of stories and a passion for learning that will carry all children for years to come.”

“We are thrilled to be working with Jumpstart on this year’s Read for the Record campaign, and to play a role in its crucial mission to build children’s literacy skills,” says Catherine Onder, SVP and Publisher of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers. “The ideas expressed in Maybe Something Beautiful about the transformative power of art and how small actions can bring people together couldn’t be more timely or important. With its real life inspirations, this is a story that lets children know that they have the ability to make a difference.”

Jumpstart is honored to have two 2018 Read for the Record Literacy Champions who bring attention to the importance of reading to children in English or in Spanish: Dolores Huerta, labor organizer and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and Esai Morales, actor and activist. Jumpstart’s Read for the Record also has the invaluable support of volunteers from around the country and from corporate partners including Franklin Templeton Investments, TJX Companies, and this year’s publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Read for the Record events are planned in schools, libraries, and communities across the country on Thursday, October 25, 2018. Highlights include:

• Atlanta, GA – Children’s Museum of Atlanta, 10am – 12pm
  • Television host Alicia Roberts of station CBS46 Atlanta leads a read aloud, and other fun activities for children will be available in the museum throughout the day
• Austin, TX – Austin Public Library, Pleasant Hill Branch, 10am – 11am
  • Rafael López, illustrator of Maybe Something Beautiful, will be our featured special guest reader. Readings in both English and Spanish will be followed by art activities to accompany the book.
• Boston, MA – Boston Children’s Museum, 10am – 12:30pm
  • Museum staff will host a story time readings at 11am and  12pm. Volunteers from Jumpstart and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt will help children design their own birds just like Mira’s bird in the book, and participate in other fun crafts.
• Irvine, CA – Heritage Museum of Orange County, 9:30am – 12:00pm
  • Actor Esai Morales is our special guest reader and 2018 Literacy Champion. Readings in both English and Spanish will be followed by fun craft activities that accompany the book’s themes.
• San Francisco, CA – San Francisco Public Library, 10am – 12pm
  • Isabel Campoy, co-author of Maybe Something Beautiful, will be our featured special guest reader. Readings in both English and Spanish will be followed by art activities to accompany the book.

To learn more about these events, or find events in your community, please visit readfortherecord.org.

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ABOUT JUMPSTART’S READ FOR THE RECORD

Jumpstart’s Read for the Record was launched over a decade ago to highlight the importance of building early literacy and language skills for EVERY child, so that all children have the opportunity to enter kindergarten prepared to succeed. Previous year’s Read for the Record book selections have included beloved children’s classics such as The Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf, Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney, and many more.

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ABOUT JUMPSTART

Jumpstart is a national early education organization working toward the day every child in America enters kindergarten prepared to succeed. By participating in Jumpstart’s program, children develop the language, literacy, and social and emotional skills they need to be ready for school, setting them on a path for lifelong success. Since 1993, Jumpstart has trained 47,500 college students and community volunteers to transform the lives of over 110,000 preschool children nationwide. Jumpstart is a proud member of the AmeriCorps service network. Learn more at jstart.org and follow us on Facebook and Twitter at @Jumpstartkids.

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ABOUT HOUGHTON MIFFLIN HARCOURT

For nearly two centuries, HMH Trade Publishing has published some of the world’s most renowned novels, nonfiction, children’s books, and reference works. As part of a leading global learning company, it is uniquely positioned to offer educational and entertaining content for all audiences. Its distinguished author list includes ten Nobel Prize winners, forty-eight Pulitzer Prize winners, fifteen National Book Award winners, and more than one hundred Caldecott, Newbery, Printz, and Sibert Medal and Honor recipients. HMH publishes such distinguished authors as Philip Roth, Temple Grandin, Tim O’Brien, and Amos Oz, and a celebrated roster of children’s authors and illustrators including Kwame Alexander, Lois Lowry, and Chris Van Allsburg. HMH is also home to The Best American series^®; The Whole30^®, Weber Grill, Betty Crocker^®, Better Homes and Gardens^®, How to Cook Everything^®, and other leading lifestyle properties; the Peterson Field Guides^®; CliffsNotes^™; books by J.R.R. Tolkien; and many iconic children’s books and characters, including Curious George^®, The Little Prince, and The Polar Express. HMH Productions, its newly launched division, develops and produces media and licensed products related to brands such as Carmen Sandiego and Oregon Trail.