McDonald's UK announces partnership with National Literacy Trust, Penguin Random House
The fast food chain announced plans to give away 55 million books to families before the end of 2016, as part of its ‘Happy Readers’ campaign. Working in partnership with the National Literacy Trust and Penguin Random House, for the next five weeks McDonald’s UK will hand out extracts of Jeff Kinney’s much-loved Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.
Announced in January 2013, McDonald’s ‘Happy Readers’ campaign was introduced in response to research showing that one in three children does not own a book and only half of children enjoy reading. With help from partners, including the National Literacy Trust, Penguin Random House and Kobo, McDonald’s has given away books from some of the UK’s best-loved family authors, from Roald Dahl to Enid Blyton, and non-fiction books from award-winning publisher DK’s ‘Amazing World’ series.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is McDonald’s fifth Happy Readers promotion. Over the next five weeks, McDonald’s plans to give away 11 million fun books offering a window into the mischievous world of schoolboy Greg Heffley and his wimpy kid escapades as part of McDonald’s Happy Meals, making the hugely successful series accessible to millions of children.
The promotion includes: six storybook ‘Survival Guides’ inviting families to follow Greg's Wimpy Kid survival experiences, from enduring long car journeys to teaching parents how to dance; and two specially-created activity books, filled with tips and tricks and a Diary of a Wimpy Kid journal, encouraging kids to get creative by writing their own survival story.
According to the National Literacy Trust’s recent report Children and Young People’s Reading in 2015, Diary of a Wimpy Kid was most frequently named by children and young people as their favourite book. This comes as research from the National Literacy Trust reveals that a quarter of children agree that their parents don’t care if they spend time reading.
Emily Somers, Vice President Food and Marketing, McDonald’s UK, said: “McDonald’s has long been a much-loved family experience and our Happy Meal promotions today are designed to be fun while fuelling imaginations and helping kids to learn. Through Happy Readers we have been able to put millions of books into the hands of families. We can’t wait for customers, young and old, to enjoy exploring the funny world of Greg Heffley through our Wimpy Kid Survival Guides.”
Lisa Rootes, Head of Partnerships at the National Literacy Trust, added: “Humour is a great way to encourage children to read for enjoyment, which will help them to succeed at school and improve their life chances. The hilarious Diary of a Wimpy Kid promotion will put books into the hands of millions of children, including many who haven’t owned one before, and show families how fun reading together can be.”
Francesca Dow, MD, Penguin Random House said: ‘Last year our Roald Dahl ‘Happy Readers’ promotion put books into the hands of millions of children and we are thrilled to continue this initiative with Diary of a Wimpy Kid, introducing Greg Heffley and other hilarious characters to a brand new audience. We know that children will laugh their way through these exceptional books and be inspired to develop a love for reading from an early age.’
