It's Reading Cats And Dogs!! Kids Join New Paws For Reading Program And Pledge To Read At Home 20 Minutes Each Day To Give A Free Book To A Child In Need, Up To 250,000 Books

NEW YORK, Sept. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- This school year, Scholastic Book Clubs is inviting kids across the country to side with either cats or dogs in a pledge to read every day, while also helping to donate books to kids in need. It is all part of the new Paws for Reading program dedicated to promoting reading at home. For every 20 minutes a child reads and logs, a free book will be donated to a child in need—with up to 250,000 books donated to Scholastic Book Clubs' ClassroomsCare literacy partners including Paws for Healing, Reach Out and Read, Save the Children, and The Lisa Libraries.

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With the new Common Core State Standards emphasizing the importance of reading every day, Paws for Reading helps parents and teachers motivate their kids to read at home through a fun challenge of two teams—the Cats and the Dogs. Kids join a team at www.scholastic.com/paws, log the minutes they read each day, and contribute to their team's total minute count. The team with the most minutes will be determined on December 14, 2012.

"What child doesn't love a little furry and friendly competition? And before they know it, they have achieved a reading milestone and donated a book to a child in need," said Judy Newman, President of Scholastic Book Clubs and E-Commerce. "Given the new rigorous reading standards, we want to help parents support their child's literacy at home with a fun, easy reading program that anyone can join."

PAWS FOR KIDS:
Not sure which team you're going to run with?  Kids can start out by taking the "On the Fence" quiz to find their match.  Once on a team, kids can pick up any book and read, log their minutes, earn digital rewards, and follow their team's latest score.  Kids can also check out "Paws Picks" for books about cats and dogs, and download free posters to decorate their lockers or bedrooms!

PAWS FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS:
Parents can find ways to use Paws for Reading at home with fun book lists, printable reading pledges, reading logs, bookmarks, and more each month to help motivate kids to read at home.  Teachers can also set up a classroom roster to track how many minutes each student has read.

ABOUT SCHOLASTIC BOOK CLUBS' CLASSROOMSCARE:
Scholastic Book Clubs started the ClassroomsCare program as a way for students to give back through reading. ClassroomsCare partners with charities to give children in need access to quality books. Scholastic Book Clubs' ClassroomsCare has donated over 10 million books to kids in need since 2001. Kids who participate in ClassroomsCare learn the value of giving. They develop reading skills through activities that promote literacy. And they are empowered by the knowledge that their actions can impact the world in positive ways.

Visit http://www.scholastic.com/paws to learn more about Paws for Reading, and for more information about Scholastic, visit our Media Room.

SOURCE Scholastic