McDonald's Of Southern California Invites Families To Celebrate The Joy Of Reading With The Second Installment Of Happy Meal Books

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- From Jan. 9-22, McDonald's will offer books as the toy in Happy Meals, providing thousands of books to families across the Southland. Through a new collaboration with HarperCollins Children's Books, families will be able to enjoy a collection of four classic, Happy Meal-sized books: "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie," "Big Nate: In a Class by Himself" (abridged), "Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses" and "Flat Stanley Goes Camping." Each book, which also has a related activity element, brings imagination and play to life in a way that only McDonald's can. Books are available in English and also Spanish in select locations.

"For the second time in two years, we're proud to invite families to spread the spirit of learning and lovin' that's synonymous with our brand through these fun, classic Happy Meal Books," said Clay Paschen, III, McDonald's owner/operator and president of the McDonald's Operators' Association of Southern California (MOASC). "McDonald's Happy Meal Books are among the company's latest actions supporting a commitment to champion children's happiness and well-being. In addition to the books, McDonald's also donates a portion of the proceeds from every Happy Meal to Ronald McDonald House Charities."

McDonald's is again collaborating with Reading Is Fundamental (www.RIF.org), the largest children's literacy non-profit in the U.S. Together, they aim to help more children and their families discover the joy of reading. RIF will also distribute 100,000 Happy Meal Books to children who do not have easy access to books. Happy Meal Books are also supported by new partner HarperCollins (www.hc.com), one of the leading and best regarded publishers of children's books.

"Books are essential for inspiring children to explore, dream and achieve, yet far too many children do not have access to this basic resource," said Reading Is Fundamental CEO Carol Hampton Rasco. "For the second time, we're partnering with McDonald's, another organization that embraces the transformative power of books. Together, we'll continue to enrich kids' lives through access to books and by putting the fun back in reading."

Books Reinforce Ongoing Commitment to Children's Happiness and Well-Being

In November 2013, McDonald's and RIF introduced four limited-edition, original Happy Meal books. During that two-week period in November, McDonald's restaurants distributed about 17 million books to kids nationwide.

The new books follow a number of enhancements McDonald's has made to the Happy Meal in recent years, including:

• In December 2014, McDonald's introduced a new fresh, whole fruit side option in Happy Meals and Mighty Kids Meals – Cuties California Clementines. Cuties are available now through their peak season in March 2015.
• In July 2014, McDonald's began offering Go-GURT® low fat Strawberry Yogurt as an additional side option for Happy Meals and Mighty Kids Meals. The Go-GURT® offered in Happy Meals has 25 percent less sugar than the leading kids' yogurt. Go-GURT at McDonald's has 6g of sugar per 2.25 oz. The leading kids' yogurt has 9g of sugar per 2.25 oz.
• Since 2013, McDonald's has been automatically offering fruit or low-fat dairy in kids' meals, along with a smaller kids-sized fry and choice of a low-fat dairy option like 1% low-fat white milk or fat-free chocolate milk.
• In 2011, McDonald's announced its "Commitments to Offer Improved Nutrition Choices" to ensure 100 percent of McDonald's national kids' communications include a nutrition or active lifestyle message.
• Since 2010, a portion of proceeds from each Happy Meal sold goes to support Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Each Happy Meal Book Includes an Activity

• "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" written by Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond. Activity: Roll the die and advance your game piece, be the first to complete the "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" mini board game.
• "Big Nate: In a Class by Himself" (abridged) by Lincoln Peirce and available with stickers. Activity: Learn how to draw Nate.
• "Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses" by Kimberly and James Dean. Activity: Design your own sunglasses, available as a paper cutout to color and wear.
• "Flat Stanley Goes Camping" by Jeff Brown, illustrated by Macky Pamintuan. Activity: Color your own Flat Stanley and pose for a photo at your favorite landmark.

About McDonald's of Southern California
MOASC is comprised of more than 600 franchised and company-owned McDonald's restaurants in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and Ventura counties. Learn more at mcdonaldssocal.com and follow us on Twitter: @McDonalds_SoCal

About McDonald's
McDonald's USA, LLC, serves a variety of menu options made with quality ingredients to more than 27 million customers every day. Nearly 90 percent of McDonald's 14,000 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by businessmen and women. Customers can now log online for free at approximately 11,500 participating Wi-Fi enabled McDonald's U.S. restaurants. For more information, visit www.mcdonalds.com.

About HarperCollins Children's Books
HarperCollins Children's Books is one of the leading publishers of children's and teen books. Respected worldwide for its tradition of publishing quality, award-winning books for young readers, HarperCollins is home to many timeless treasures and bestsellers such as Charlotte's Web, Goodnight Moon, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Where the Wild Things Are, The Graveyard Book and series including The Chronicles of Narnia, Ramona, Warriors, Pete the Cat, Fancy Nancy, Divergent, and The Selection. Consistently at the forefront of digital innovation, HarperCollins Children's Books delights readers through engaging storytelling in all formats, including ebooks and apps. HarperCollins Children's Books is a division of HarperCollins Publishers, one of the leading English-language publishers in the world and a subsidiary of News Corp (NASDAQ: NWS, NWSA; ASX: NWS, NWSLV). Headquartered in New York, HarperCollins has operations in 18 countries. You can visit HarperCollins Children's Books at www.harpercollinschildrens.com and www.epicreads.com and HarperCollins Publishers at www.hc.com

About Reading Is Fundamental
Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) delivers free books and literacy resources to children and families in underserved communities in the United States. By giving children the opportunity to own a book, RIF inspires them to become lifelong readers and achieve their full potential. As the nation's largest children's literacy nonprofit, RIF has placed 412 million books in the hands of more than 40 million children since it was established in 1966. To learn more, visit RIF.org or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

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SOURCE McDonald's of Southern California

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