ALSC partners with Nick Jr. to promote reading
Contact: Malore Brown
312-280-2162
mbrown@ala.org
ALA News Release
For Immediate Release
January 2002
ALSC partners with Nick Jr. to promote reading
The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), will partner with the children's television network Nickelodeon to promote reading and libraries on Nick Jr., Nickelodeon's Emmy and Parent Choice Award-winning block of break-through pre-school television.
The ALSC/Nick Jr. partnership has been established to promote libraries and the magic of books and reading. It will include an on-air PSA promotional spot starring "Dora the Explorer." Additionally, Nick Jr. and Simon Spotlight, an imprint of Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, have created a poster featuring the slogan, "Follow Dora's Lead…Read!" The poster promotes an episode of "Dora the Explorer" in which she returns books to her local library. The poster will be distributed to public libraries nationwide. The episode, "Dora's Backpack Adventure," will air on March 4, 2002, at 8 p.m. Simon Spotlight is publishing a tie-in storybook as part of their Dora the Explorer Book Series launch (March 2002.)
"We are delighted to partner with Nickelodeon in promoting areas of interest to both organizations: children's literacy and early childhood learning," said Malore I. Brown, ALSC executive director. "This is a wonderful chance to reach out to children through Dora, one of their favorite characters, and show young children what a wonderful and exciting place the library can be."
"Dora has been embraced by preschoolers who love her sense of adventure, " said Brown Johnson, senior VP, Nick Jr. "Dora is the perfect spokesperson for the Association for Library Service to Children because she has the power to encourage preschoolers to explore reading, books and the world of adventure a library unveils, much in the same way she introduces them to Spanish."
The partnership will begin with a "kickoff" event at the Simon & Schuster booth (#4900) during the ALA Midwinter Meeting in New Orleans, Friday, January 18 at 5:30 p.m.
Since "Dora the Explorer" first aired in August 2000, the seven-year-old Latina action adventure heroine has won fans among children, parents and educators. "Dora the Explorer" is currently the number-one show among children aged 2-5 on commercial television.
The Association for Library Service to Children develops and supports the profession of children's librarianship by enabling and encouraging its practitioners to provide the best library service to our nation's children.
Nick Jr. is a specially designed programming block airing on Nickelodeon weekdays from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. (ET/PT) and weekends on CBS. Completely dedicated to preschoolers ages 2-5 and hosted by the lovable animated character Face, Nick Jr.'s Emmy- and Parents' Choice Award-winning programs are curriculum based, fun and commercial free. At Nick Jr., kids play to learn with innovative, original shows created just for them.
Nickelodeon, now in its 23rd year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 84 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic-cable network for more than six consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.
