Jumpstart, a national early education organization, is partnering with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's Books for Young Readers division on Jumpstart's annual Read for the Record campaign, which raises awareness about "the need for high-quality early learning for all children and the transformative power of books and reading to impact student learning and engagement."
This year's book selection is Maybe Something Beautiful by F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell, illustrated by Rafael López.
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| Illustrator Rafael López introducing Read for the Record. | |
A limited number of special-edition paperback copies of the book will be sold exclusively by Jumpstart in both English and Spanish. They will feature reading tips, vocabulary words, reading comprehension questions, and activity guides developed by Jumpstart's team of early education experts. All proceeds help bring the organization's program to preschool children in under-resourced communities across the country.
The campaign culminates October 25, when adults will celebrate Read for the Record Day by reading Maybe Something Beautiful to young children in their communities. The initiative will also be part of an attempt to beat the world record for most people reading the same book at the same time.
"Read for the Record shines a bright spotlight on the invaluable role adults can play to support children's learning and relationships by reading aloud with them--helping children to make sense of the world around them, develop empathy, and ignite their imaginations," said Naila Bolus, Jumpstart president and CEO. "This year's book selection celebrates that imagination and creativity in such an inspiring way, and I can't wait to see this story come alive during the campaign this fall."
Catherine Onder, senior v-p and publisher of HMH Books for Young Readers, commented: "We are thrilled to be working with Jumpstart on this year's Read for the Record campaign, and to play a role in its crucial mission to build children's literacy skills. The ideas expressed in Maybe Something Beautiful, about the transformative power of art and how small actions can bring people together, couldn't be more timely or important. With its real-life inspirations, this is a story that lets children know that they have the ability to make a difference."