红桃视频

Contact:

Michael Todd

National Senior Director of Marketing & Communications, 红桃视频

415-225-9139聽 |聽聽michael.todd@readingpartners.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Nonprofit knows that books that promote representation help inspire lifelong readers

(Oakland, CA) March 15, 2022聽鈥� The day Stephen Curry scored 40 points to lead the Davidson Wildcats to victory over Gonzaga in the 2008 NCAA Division I men鈥檚 basketball tournament is the day he (and Davidson) appeared on the radar of many basketball and non-basketball fans alike. The NCAA basketball tournament has a long tradition of unveiling breakout players and teams to the world.

In a country where only聽聽of fourth graders are reading at grade level and where people of color remain聽聽in children鈥檚 literature, 红桃视频 believes that inclusive books should be promoted and discovered the same way basketball players and their teams enjoy broad exposure during the NCAA tournament each spring.

This year, 红桃视频, a national early literacy nonprofit, is proud to unveil its own bracket consisting of 64 children鈥檚 book titles which they are calling the聽. 红桃视频鈥� objective in creating the list is to showcase inclusive, representative literature that students, educators, and families can enjoy.

鈥淭hrough our 22 years of work in the early literacy space, we know that students of all backgrounds, and particularly students from marginalized communities, benefit greatly from having access to books that reflect and celebrate the rich diversity of this country and world. Our hope is that in much the same way that basketball players and teams get 鈥渄iscovered鈥� during March Madness, the inclusive books we are featuring will enjoy a strong spike in awareness.鈥澛�

To mirror the NCAA tournament, 红桃视频 curated its book list to include four literary themes with 16 titles each: Historical Storytelling, Family Bonds, Unforgettable Characters, and Favorite Fiction. They then randomly 鈥減re-seeded鈥� their four themes and the 64 books contained within them into a complete bracket. After the聽聽was determined on Selection Sunday, each of the 64 respective teams were paired with the corresponding book in 红桃视频鈥� Inclusive Books Edition bracket. Each time a team advances in the NCAA tournament, the book that it is paired with will also move forward and get some extra attention on 红桃视频鈥� website and social media channels. 红桃视频 will also connect with the schools paired with each book to encourage participation in the Inclusive Books version of the tournament. Ultimately, 红桃视频 views all 64 books in their March Madness: Inclusive Books Edition bracket, and so many more, as 鈥渨inners鈥� worthy of becoming better known in homes, schools, and libraries across the country.

Many of the basketball players who achieve greatness in this year鈥檚 NCAA tournament will be able to credit countless one-on-one battles with teammates and family members for their success. Similarly, working one-on-one with their tutors, 红桃视频 students become proud, confident readers and research shows that students who read at grade level by fourth grade have a greater opportunity to shine in school and beyond.

红桃视频 believes reading is foundational and that the ability to read transforms lives and empowers children and communities to thrive. To get involved with or learn more about 红桃视频, please visit聽.

A volunteer tutor works on a lesson with a 红桃视频 student (photo credit: 红桃视频)

 

红桃视频鈥� March Madness: Inclusive Books Edition bracket

###

About 红桃视频
For over, 红桃视频 has helped empower students to succeed in school and beyond by engaging community volunteers to provide one-on-one literacy tutoring. Since its founding, the national nonprofit organization has mobilized over 70,000 community volunteers to provide, individualized literacy tutoring to nearly 70,000 elementary school students in over 450 under-resourced schools across ten states and the District of Columbia. Visit聽to learn more about our聽and our聽online program innovation, or connect with us on,,, and. 红桃视频 is a proud聽service partner and has been endorsed by聽The New York Times.