Americans Believe Children Lack Basic Reading Skills.

Results from a new national survey released today reveal that while almost all Americans (99 percent) agree it is important that children be exposed to books and reading at a young age; nearly as many (86 percent) believe children’s lack of basic reading skills is a significant problem. To that end, the Mercury Mountaineer Drive for Literacy campaign launches with the goal of placing one million books in the hands of children who need them.

Mercury, Random House Children’s Books and First Book, a national non-profit that provides books to children from low-income families, have banded together to launch the campaign. The four-month Mercury Mountaineer Drive for Literacy campaign will distribute books in all 50 states this summer at events taking place in 60 cities. More than a simple book give-away, the campaign will give 300,000 children personal libraries of up to a dozen books over the course of a year and support the establishment of at least 40 new First Book Local Advisory Boards nationwide.

“As a country we know that our young people need to be reading, yet many children — particularly those from low-income families — grow up without access to books,” said Kyle Zimmer, President of First Book. “By providing new books to these children, First Book is not only working to fight illiteracy, but to end it and the Mercury Mountaineer Drive for Literacy brings us one step closer to doing just that.”

The summer-long campaign is funded by a $1 million donation from Mercury. Mercury’s donation continues the company’s long-standing commitment to education and celebrates the launch of its all-new 2002 Mountaineer. The donation was matched by a grant of one million books from Random House Children’s Book Publishers.

“It is our understanding that if children do not have books at home, their reading ability may suffer when school is out. That’s why the Mercury Mountaineer Drive for Literacy is taking place during the summer — when kids need books most,” said Mark Hutchins, president, Lincoln Mercury. “We recognize that reading is a crucial skill, and we want to do our part to make sure that all children can discover the joys of reading.”

Children from low-income families have, on average, four children’s books per home, and one team of researchers recently concluded that two-thirds of low-income families they studied have no books at all in their homes, making reading difficult for these children when school is out.

Whoopi Goldberg, entertainer and First Book supporter, is committed to the campaign. “We are all these children have, and I think it is absolutely great that Mercury put a million dollars into them,” said Goldberg. “That’s why I support First Book and the Mercury Mountaineer Drive for Literacy.”

Regardless of economic status, all children need to have access to books and one-on-one reading time, especially during the summer months. To help parents encourage reading, First Book and Mercury offer their “top ten” tips:

1. Be a role model by reading books yourself

2. Keep books at home, so that children see books are part of your life

3. Visit the local public library — it’s free

4. Spend time talking about books and stories

5. Play alphabet games

6. Make books special, by teaching your kids to care for them

7. Set aside a consistent time to read, such as after dinner or before bedtime

8. Encourage your kids to read with other family members, such as grandparents and brothers and sisters

9. Turn off the TV. With no distractions, you can enjoy reading together

10. Praise and reward your children for reading

Mercury Mountaineer Drive for Literacy events will at be held at public libraries, parks and community centers this summer in 60 cities: Pittsburgh, PA, Philadelphia, PA, Washington, DC, Boston, MA, Cleveland, OH, Detroit, MI, Chicago, IL, Minneapolis, MN, St. Louis, MO, Nashville, TN, Charlotte, NC, Atlanta, GA, Orlando, FL, Miami, FL, Dallas, TX, Houston, TX, San Antonio, TX, Denver, CO, Seattle, WA, San Francisco, CA, San Diego, CA, Los Angeles, CA, Honolulu, HI, Anchorage, AK, Portland, OR, Billings, MT, Boise, ID, Salt Lake City, UT, Las Vegas, NV, Phoenix, AZ, Albuquerque, NM, Cheyenne, WY, Fargo, ND, Pierre, SD, Des Moines, IA, Omaha, NE, Wichita, KS, Oklahoma City, OK, Little Rock, AR, New Orleans, LA, Jackson, MS, Birmingham, AL, Tampa, FL, Greenville, SC, Raleigh, NC, Norfolk, VA, Milwaukee, WI, Indianapolis, IN, Louisville, KY, Cincinnati, OH, Charleston/Huntington, WV, Baltimore, MD, Wilmington, DE, Newark, NJ, New Haven, CT, Providence, RI, Portland, ME, Concord, NH, Burlington, VT, and Buffalo, NY.

The recent national telephone survey of 1,000 American adults was conducted May 18-21, 2001 by Wirthlin Worldwide. The confidence interval for a survey of this size is +/- 3.1 percent. The survey examined American attitudes regarding children’s literacy in the United States. In addition to the items mentioned above, results indicate that more than three in four adults (82 percent) agree that the more books that are in a home, the better the children in that home tend to read.