New York,
NY (August
15,
2002) --
NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal, in partnership with Scholastic, the global children's publishing and media company, and Reading Is Fundamental™ (RIF), the nations leading children's literacy organization will unveil
The Biggest Children's Book in the World, a giant-size 8' X 6', 650 lb. bound book which includes a compilation of 3,000 student essays inspired by the theme
My Dream For A Better World. At a special ceremony featuring Shaq, Scholastic author and civil rights pioneer Ruby Bridges and Scholastic illustrator Joe Cepeda, the event will recognize seven student finalists from as far away as Point Hope, Alaska to Davie, Florida, whose essays exemplify the ideals and thoughts of future generations. The landmark event will also feature several community service activities including a mural-like Dream Wall and the launching of Dream Balloons to symbolize the students' hopes and visions for a brighter future. The celebration/press event will be held at the Challengers Boys & Girls Club of Metro Los Angeles on August 23rd at 1pm.
Essays Reveal "Hot Topics": September 11th, Environment, World Peace and Crime
Biggest Children's Book, which includes a forward by Shaquille O'Neal, is the culmination of an extensive essay project launched on
www.scholastic.com, through Scholastic classroom magazines and Scholastic Book Clubs as well as on
www.rif.org. More than 10,000 youngsters submitted 100-500-word essays about their deepest concerns and hopeful solutions to current global issues. Of these, 3,000 essays were chosen to appear in
Biggest Children's Book.
Although the essays came from kids of varying ages and backgrounds across the nation, several universal themes emerged. An overwhelming 75% of the essays spoke about September 11th and how this event has had a lasting effect on the minds of young people. Other important topics include: environmental issues (47%), world peace (32%) and crime prevention (9%). A significant number of students---7%---expressed concern about poverty and homelessness in their communities. 5% stated that increased volunteerism and civic involvement could dramatically improve a variety of conditions including education, community recycling programs, sponsoring national trash pick up days, enforcing stricter gun control laws and being more respectful of people's ethnic differences in resolving conflict.
Biggest Book Tour
Following the August 23rd awards,
Biggest Children's Book will be displayed at the National Book Festival sponsored by the Library of Congress and hosted by Laura Bush on Saturday, October 12th in Washington, DC. It will then travel to the hometowns of seven student finalists beginning in January, 2003, where it will be used to initiate "mini town hall meetings" on the power of books, reading and self-expression.
"I am proud to be a part of the
The Biggest Children's Book in the World," said Shaquille O'Neal, the 7'1" center of the three-time NBA championship Los Angeles Lakers said. "It brings together the writing of a diverse group of kids who come from totally different places, yet share many of the same dreams and concerns about the world in which we live."
"When a child reads, their hopes, dreams, and imaginations flourish," said Carol H. Rasco, CEO and President of Reading Is Fundamental. "The Biggest Children's Book In The World is a moving collection of our children's visions and ideas for a better world, and demonstrates the creative power of youth and the inspirational power of reading."
"The Biggest Children's Book In The World is a celebration of the accomplishments of the thousands of young authors who participated. These children are an example of how kids from all walks of life can express themselves in a positive way through reading and writing about the world around them," said Dick Robinson, President, CEO and Chairman, Scholastic.
"Scholastic is proud to partner with RIF because they do such an outstanding job of reaching millions of kids and instill in them a love of books and reading."
Scholastic has contributed $10,000 to launch a new Reading Is Fundamental program at the Challengers Boys & Girls Club for the next decade and has also donated 5,000 books for the Challengers library. In addition, each of the seven winners and their schools will receive a special Biggest Children's Book In The World plaque as well as a book donation from Scholastic in acknowledgement of their achievement.
READING IS FUNDAMENTAL: Founded in 1966, RIF develops and delivers children's and family literacy programs that help prepare young children for reading and motivate school-age children to read regularly. RIF's highest priority is to serve the nation's neediest children, from birth to age 11. Through a national, grassroots network of 400,000 community volunteers, RIF programs last year provided 15 million new, free books and other essential literacy resources to nearly 5 million children. For more information, visit www.rif.org.
Scholastic (NMS: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books. As a global children's publishing and media company serving the needs of parents, teachers, and children, Scholastic provides proprietary book and software distribution through school book clubs, schoolbook fairs and to classrooms, as well as through the retail trade. Since 1920, Scholastic has created quality educational materials for schools and has expanded its reach to include the distribution of books, software, toys, online learning services and television programming directly to the home. Scholastic is the leading print and online publisher of children's reference materials and the leader in children's direct-to-home book clubs. Internationally, Scholastic operates wholly owned companies in Argentina, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, The Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the United Kingdom. The U.S. Scholastic web site http://www.scholastic.com is a leading provider of educational services online for parents, teachers and children.