Bonggamom Finds: Disney Junior announces Give a Book, Get a Book campaign

If you're reading this blog post, I'm guessing you already know how to read. And I'm guessing you already know how important reading is for your child's future. You probably know that reading to your child helps develop their creativity and imagination. You probably know that letting your child see you read, and having books available in your home, increases your child's chances of being a good reader even more.

(Yes, that's LeVar Burton from Reading Rainbow reading to the lucky kids at the Disney Social Moms Celebration!)

No, I'm not worried about you or your child. You are doing a great job!

I'm worried about the families who don't know about these things. I'm worried about the families that do know about these things, but don't have the resources or opportunities to do anything about it. They may work two jobs, leaving them no time or energy to read to their kids. They may not be able to afford their own books, or have access to libraries with books. Did you know that in some low income communities, there are as little as 1 book for every 300 people? This country spends $300 trillion on defense, and leaves 300 people to share 1 book. What a disgrace.

If we don't educate our children, we don't have a future. Something has to be done. In my years as a blogger, I'm proud to have worked with various brands to promote programs designed to help children in low income communities discover the joys of reading. This month, I'm proud to add Disney Junior to that list.

On April 12, at the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration at the Disneyland Resort, Disney Junior announced their partnership with First Book in the Give a Book, Get a Book initiative. Between 4/21/2014 and 9/30/2015, families can enter special codes at giveabookgetabook.com. Once you enter the code, two magical things will happen:

1) You GET a free Disney Junior digital book!
2) Disney will GIVE a book to a family in need!

Yes, that's right -- Every time someone enters a code, Disney will donate a book to First Book, a non-profit social enterprise that provides new books to schools and programs serving children in need, all over the country. Disney will donate up to one million books! You even get to specify the region where the book goes. I've worked to get books into the hands of kids in nearby school districts like East Palo Alto and Redwood City, so I'd love for my book donation to go there.

Here's how to get the codes:

1) Purchase specially marked Disney Junior products and books which include a redemption code.

2) Give a Book, Get a Book bookmarks with redemption codes will be distributed to visitors at participating public libraries and Radio Disney events throughout the summer.

3) Starting April 21, Disney Store locations will provide an enhanced interactive "Storytime Powered by Give a Book, Get a Book" featuring two new stories from Disney Junior favorites, "Sofia the First" and "Jake and the Never Land Pirates." Children at these events will be given a free book along with a redemption code bookmark.

4) Disney Store locations will host special storytime events at Boys & Girls Clubs of America in multiple markets across the U.S. Children at these events will be given a free book along with a redemption code bookmark.

I've included step-by-step instructions (including screenshots) for redeeming the codes at the end of this post.

(And yes, those are Disney Junior Stars David Arquette -- voice of Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates-- , Ariel Winter -- voice of Sofia from Sofia the First -- and Tim Gunn -- voice of Baileywick from Sofia the First -- reading to the kids at the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration!)

What a wonderful way to help kids all across the country experience the joy of reading! And what a wonderful way to help your kids experience the joys of giving back to the community! Visit www.giveabookgetabook.com for more details. Happy reading!

Photo credit: all photos except screenshots on this post courtesy of Disney / ABC Television

Disclosure: I was invited to attend the 2014 Disney Social Media Moms Celebration. The conference fee I paid included discounted lodging and park tickets for me and my family. I was not asked or required to blog about the conference or any of its sponsors. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.

Here's how to redeem a code for a free Disney Junior eBook and Disney book donation to First Book.

Go to www.giveabookgetabook.com and enter your code.

You'll need to enter your email address to get to the next screen.

Choose from 1 of 10 Disney Junior eBooks featuring Doc McStuffins, Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Minnie, Mickey, or Sofia the First. Two of the book choices are in Spanish!