McDonald’s To Distribute 17 Million Books; Kids Can Now Enjoy Books With Their Happy Meals

Fast food giant McDonald's has partnered with Reading Is Fundamental, a nonprofit literacy organization, to distribute books instead of toys to customers who order Happy Meals. The program will start on February 15 and more than 17 million books are expected to be given away.

According to the report by Los Angeles Times, CEO and president of Reading Is Fundamental, Carol H. Rasco, spoke out about the partnership and said that they are pleased to team up with McDonald's to "provide much-needed books to children who have limited access to them." "Books are the building blocks for a better future. They foster the imagination, expand our understanding of the world and fuel a lifelong love of learning," she continued. "We're pleased McDonald's is helping millions of children discover the joy of reading."

One of the four small paperback books available, specially made to fit inside a Happy Meal Box, will be given along with each meal ordered. These books include the well-loved "Paddington" written by Michael Bond, "Clark the Shark Takes Heart" by Bruce Hale, "Pete the Cat: Valentine's Day Is Cool" by Kimberly and James Dean and "Happy Valentine's Day, Mouse!" by Laura Numeroff.

Spanish versions will also be available at select McDonald's stores. IB Times mentioned that according to Reading Is Fundamental, about 65 percent of students in the fourth grade read at or below the basic level and more than 75 percent of students who are poor readers fall behind in school by the end of third grade.

In a blog post, Rasco wrote that to improve the statistics, it is important to encourage young children to read more. She continued to say that there have been several studies which confirmed that the number of books in a home is linked to the child's reading proficiency. "In fact, a child who grows up with books in his or her home reaches a higher level of education than those who do not," she wrote.

By the end of 2016, we’ll have distributed 50 mil Happy Meal Books to kids since 2013! https://t.co/Aij1ykvDBp ❤️

This is the third time that the popular fast food chain distributed books. It has given away books in 2013 and 2015 and in total, it is expected to give away about 50 million books after this year's distribution is completed.