New York, NY (May 11, 2005) -- Studies show that millions of children in the United States lose ground in reading skills during the summer when school is out.  In an effort to combat the effects of what is known as the “summer slide” and encourage children across the nation to keep reading while school is out, Scholastic.com has launched, Summer Reading Counts (www.scholastic.com/summerreading), a unique and interactive online resource for families.
 
This special area devoted to summer reading features interactive and fun activities for children, in addition to expert advice and information for parents/caregivers. With useful articles, reading tips, activities and booklists, the Summer Reading mini-site is an interactive experience that brings reading and books to life online and offline. 
 
“With summer approaching, parents need to be thinking of ways to incorporate learning and reading into their children’s lives over the long vacation months,” said Sylvia Barsotti, Editor-in-Chief of Scholastic.com.  “The new summer reading site on Scholastic.com gives parents the easy and useful resources they need to ensure their child’s summer is filled with books, activities, and lots of fun.”
 
For families, www.scholastic.com/summerreading focuses on getting children excited about reading with informative articles, age-appropriate booklists, detailed advice and suggestions compiled by education experts. Parents can view the online “Be a Reading Coach” video that shows parents how to help a child learn to read, and can take a virtual tour of a reading friendly home environment. In addition, the site offers targeted grade level reading lists, tips on how to use public libraries to get the most out of the experience and activities for reluctant, beginner and advanced readers.
 
For kids, www.scholastic.com/summerreading offers great online activities for indoor summer fun.  Kids can download fun bookmarks featuring their favorite characters including Maya & MiguelÔ and Captain Underpants, and join Flashlight ReadersÔ, an interactive online reading club that brings children’s books to life.  Kids can explore and uncover never-before-seen information about some of their favorite books including Because of Winn-Dixie, Holes and the newest edition to the club for summer, Esperanza Rising, plus participate in interactive message boards and bulletin boards about books.
 
As part of the company’s commitment to improving children’s literacy and to slowing down the effects of the “summer slide,” Scholastic will also provide special book offers and fun summer-themed national promotions through its in-school Book Clubs, Book Fairs and at-home continuity Book Clubs.  School Book Fairs nationwide will be distributing free book lists, summer reading journals and colorful rubber reading bracelets to students who commit to reading eight books over the summer.  For summer, Scholastic Trade Books has launched After WordsÔ, a new collection of Scholastic children’s paperback novels with bonus content including author interviews, and Scholastic Readers and Scholastic Bookshelf picture books in paperback for younger readers. 
 
About Scholastic.com
Scholastic.com is a leading website for K-8 teachers, students and families. For educators, The Teacher Area offers free, standards-based content, online activities and teacher tools that span reading, language arts, math social studies, and science.  The Teacher Store at Scholastic.com features an extensive, relevant selection of classroom and professional development materials at preferred teacher pricing.  Most recently special interest areas including a Librarian Area and Administrator Area have been created to provide resources and meet the needs for various educational fields.  The Family Area on the site facilitates home-to-school connections with robust resources including rich content and The Scholastic Store Online, which offers a broad mix of merchandise carefully selected for its developmental appropriateness and kid appeal, with learning benefits endorsed by a panel of early childhood experts.  The Kids Area offers game and activities featuring children’s favorite Scholastic characters, including Clifford the Big Red Dog™, Harry Potter™, Maya & Miguel™ and Captain Underpants™.  Visit www.scholastic.com for information. 
 
About Scholastic
Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books and a leader in educational technology.  Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and products for use in school and at home, including children's books, magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television programming, film, videos and toys.  The Company distributes its products and services through a variety of channels, including proprietary school-based book clubs, school-based book fairs, and school-based and direct-to-home continuity programs; retail stores, schools, libraries and television networks; and the Company's Internet site, www.scholastic.com. 

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