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Walker's mega NYR giveaway

10.04.08 Benedicte Page

Walker is to distribute 250,000 free copies of Michael Rosen's We're Going on a Bear Hunt through Asda and W H Smith as part of a National Year of Reading initiative in conjunction with the Sun newspaper.

The initiative aims to boost bedtime reading by fathers. Research released by the NYR yesterday (Thursday) shows that fewer than half of fathers now say they regularly read bedtime stories to their children.

The Sun will discuss the subject in its Saturday issue (12th April), offering a voucher for the free book, while children's laureate Michael Rosen has also recorded a video piece for the Sun website, offering tips on reading stories aloud.

"Walker has been fantastically generous," said Honor Wilson-Fletcher, NYR project director. Walker sales director Jane Harris added: "We are passionate to support anything that re-energises bedtime reading, and this is from a slightly different angle, involving fathers. It seemed incredibly good to have the classic We're Going on a Bear Hunt as a giveaway to people who may never have gone to a bookshop or thought of having that special time with their child. It also gives us an opportunity to work with a media partner with huge circulation figures."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Gordon Brown will contribute a story for children to a book coming from Scholastic in August. Wow! 366 will offer "mini stories from massive writers", with 366 tales—one for each day of this leap year—told in just 366 words. Contributors include Terry Jones, Charlie Higson, Eve Ibbotson and Roddy Doyle, and £1 from each book (priced at £6.99) will go to a major children's charity.

"We are promoting this as a book of stories that someone can read to their children at bedtime, or teachers can read after registration or at assembly," said Scholastic m.d. Elaine McQuade. "At the end of each story, the author suggests two more books to read."

Book Benedicte Page walker National Year of Reading NYR. media

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By David R N Livesley - Woodstock Vermont

250,000 free copies to be given away and the title's a bestseller of the last two decades.....FANTASTIC!!! This is marketing!!!!! Sebastian would have been proud! Shame it's not Sainsbury's as this could have been a nice tribute to the supermarket who after all started the upset 25 years ago by selling Walker board books, which irritated the trade something rotten. As a former staffer I'm delighted that the 'media partners' will also be getting a bite of the cherry, but the folks who must love this deal are the printers and paper suppliers! I think a big shout should go out to Honor for getting a great PR initiative and also more importantly David Ford.....who originally brought this book into existence with his passion and also his colleagues support.

11 Apr 08 02:27

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