Former Putnam head Phyllis E. Grann has donated more than 250,000 copies of her children's book, I Will Talk to You, Little One, through City's First Readers, a collaborative initiative to support early childhood literacy funded by the New York City Council. Grann announced that the books will be a gift to families of newborns at 27 hospitals serving high needs neighborhoods across New York City, distributed during the discharge process. The book was inspired by the work of Grann's late sister, Mary Kasindorf, an early childhood educator, and features artwork by award-winning children's illustrator/author Tomie dePaola. It was published by Simon & Schuster's children's division for Literacy INC. Pictured: New York City Council member Steve Levin, Phyllis Grann, Tomie dePaola and two delighted readers.
