For Immediate Release

Contact: Judith Platt/Deidre Huntington

Ph: 202-220-4551/202-220-4550

May is ‘Get Caught Reading Month’

AAP’s Popular Campaign Has a Multi-Lingual, Multi-Format Dimension

May 9, 2008: The love of reading takes center stage this month as “Get Caught Reading,” the Association of American Publishers’ popular reading promotion campaign, heads into its ninth year.  The campaign, which centers on celebrities and public figures “caught reading” favorite books, has grown beyond its original framework to encompass a Spanish-language component, ¡Aja! Leyendo, and a new audio book component, Get Caught Listening, to be unveiled soon. 

The roster of new Get Caught Reading celebrities for 2008 includes children’s book author Jenna Bush, tennis star Nicole Vaidisova and the Disney Channel’s Dylan and Cole Sprouse.  The dynamic duo are eager to share their own love of reading: “Kids are wrapped up in video games and computers, but reading is important.  We make it a point to read as often as we can and want other kids to be as excited about it as we are,” Dylan Sprouse said.  Cole Sprouse added: “We hope kids are as psyched as we are by all the books they can find at their local bookstore or library.  Reading is a fun brain-feeder and it stays with you for a lifetime.” 

Pro bono support from the broadcast and print media has helped get the word out through a television PSA featuring Whoopi Goldberg, which aired on national networks and local ABC, NBC and Fox affiliates. Leading newspapers and magazines including USA Today, The New York Times, Miami Herald, People, Vanity Fair, National Entertainment Weekly, and Esquire, among many others, have generously provided ad space.

New for 2008: complementary learning tools are available on the web site, www.getcaughtreading.org, along with electronic wallpaper, screensavers, and postcards to supplement the thousands of posters already in use by teachers across the country.   

Get Caught Reading on “The Hill” and Back Home

Get Caught Reading captured the attention of U.S. Senators and Members of the House, who have eagerly turned out to be photographed for the campaign and to send their Get Caught Reading posters to schools and libraries back home. Grassroots support for the campaign is reflected in the creative efforts of thousands of educators who have used it to generate enthusiasm for reading through home-grown commercials featuring students getting caught reading their favorite books that have appeared on local news stations.  Teachers, local government officials, students and even university mascots have gotten caught in photographs reading their favorite books, which were shared with their communities.   Get Caught Reading contests have been implemented by a host of organizations ranging from local Sylvan Learning Centers to Bob’s Big Boy Restaurants to National Geographic Kids magazine.

May Celebrates Aja! Leyendo Latino Books Month May

May is also Latino Books Month—part of the ongoing effort to promote books in English and in Spanish by and for Latinos as part of the Spanish language component of the campaign, ¡Aja! Leyendo. During the month-long celebration, booksellers, librarians, and other “book people” encourage their communities to read books by and for Latinos. The reading lists have been a source of news for the Hispanic Caucus on Capitol Hill, are being distributed to American Booksellers Association members, and to the National Council of Teachers of English at their Annual Convention in San Antonio.  A complementary program featuring titles specifically for children was promoted to celebrate El día de los niños / El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day), a year-round celebration that is officially recognized annually on April 30, and promoted on Univision Radio.

A Good Book Speaks for Itself…Get Caught Listening To Be Unveiled

In recognition of the growing impact of books in audio format, AAP will soon launch a new audiobook extension of the Get Caught Reading campaign.  The Association’s new public awareness initiative, “Get Caught Listening,” will highlight the particular pleasures of books in audio format.  The launch will take place at BookExpo America 2008 in Los Angeles, and lead into National Audiobooks Month in June. The heart of the campaign will be pre-recorded audio voice-overs of traditional and celebrity authors sharing their passion for audiobooks, complemented by a print campaign of those authors “getting caught” listening to their favorite audio books. As it did with the Get Caught Reading campaign, AAP has enlisted pro bono support from radio outlets.  XM Radio has already voiced its support and will air the voice-overs on Sonic Theater, XM’s book and contemporary theater channel.  Authors’ voice-overs will also air on the Get Caught Reading web site, which will have a placemark for the Get Caught Listening program at www.getcaughtreading.org/listening.  Authors endorsing the campaign and providing voice-overs, photographs, or video will be announced shortly. Get Caught Listening brand extension is expected to attract the thousands of booksellers, librarians and educators who currently visit the site each year for tips on utilizing the campaign in school reading programs. Also included on the Get Caught Listening web site will be information for educators on the value of audio books and programs in fostering a love of reading and as complementary learning tools for the elementary and middle school children.

For more information on Get Caught Reading and ways in which your community can get involved visit the web site at www.getcaughtreading.org.

# # #