In a joint release, Scholastic and the Little Free Library literacy nonprofit has announced that they are partnering with Dav Pilkey to install 100 custom-designed Little Free Library-branded book-sharing mounted boxes in schools and public libraries in underserved communities across the U.S. This initiative is launching today, to coincide with the publication of Pilkey’s latest release, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga (illustrated by Motojiro), and to celebrate National School Library Month in April. The distribution of these LFL boxes will continue through July.
The initiative is an expansion of LFL's "Power Up with Reading" 2024 initiative, executed in partnership with Pilkey and Scholastic, in which one custom-made Dog Man LFL-branded book-sharing box was installed in each state in the U.S., stocked with books.
The LFL Captain Underpants boxes, funded by Pilkey, will be designed, according to a release, with his “signature bold, playful illustrations and painted in a striking red,” so that they will be “instantly recognizable beacons of fun and literacy.” Each box will be stocked with “a curated collection of kid-friendly titles,” including copies of The First Epic Manga.
“Every child deserves access to books,” Pilkey said. “With this initiative, we hope to spark curiosity, imagination, and a lifelong love of reading."
“Dav Pilkey’s stories have inspired millions of kids to fall in love with reading,” said LFL CEO Daniel Gumnit. “Together with Dav Pilkey and Scholastic, we’re turning that inspiration into action—placing books directly into communities and inviting kids to discover the joy of reading right outside their doors.”
In tandem with the Captain Underpants book-sharing box installations, LFL is hosting a nationwide book giveaway, also in collaboration with Scholastic and Pilkey. All LFL fans in the U.S. and Canada are eligible to enter to win one of 200 copies of The First Epic Manga, with priority given to school and libraries that enter.
