MONTGOMERY- ALABAMA 200 and Reach Out and Read-Alabama are proud to announce a formal partnership in celebration of the state’s bicentennial. In a joint press event on Tuesday, August 28 at the Infants’ and Children’s Clinic in Florence, Alabama, Dr. Wes Stubblefield, Alabama Chapter – American Society of Pediatrics President; Linda Lee, Alabama Chapter – American Society of Pediatrics Executive Director; and Jay Lamar, Executive Director of the Alabama Bicentennial Commission, announced the alliance and the 2019 selection for the Rx for Summer Reading Program – Alabama, My Home Sweet Home, by Charles Ghigna. 
Reach Out and Read-Alabama, a program of the Alabama Chapter-American Academy of Pediatrics, gives young children a foundation for success by incorporating books into pediatric care and encouraging families to read aloud together. The organization reaches 110,400 families each year, many living in poverty. More than 300 physicians prescribe 160,000 new books annually at well-child visits for patients aged six months through five years. The American Academy of Pediatrics promotes literacy as “an essential component of pediatric primary care” for all children, and references Reach Out and Read as an effective intervention to engage parents and prepare children to achieve their potential in school and beyond.
The Rx for Summer Reading program works with participating pediatric offices in Alabama’s counties of need. In turn, these doctor offices “prescribe” and distribute books to families to engage in reading and conversation with their children. Currently, 60 of Alabama’s pediatric practices and clinics serve as Reach Out and Read-Alabama program sites in 27 counties, impacting 40 percent of the state’s children under the age of five. Since 2006, 2.1M books have been prescribed through the early reading program. The tenth annual Rx for Summer Reading program will kick off in summer 2019.
Polly McClure
“Our pediatricians are honored to have the opportunity to prescribe the book, Alabama, My Home Sweet Home, to parents and children throughout the state during our tenth annual Rx for Summer Reading program next summer,” said Polly McClure, Statewide Coordinator, Reach Out and Read-Alabama. “Giving families the chance to travel the state through the adventures of Camellia will provide unique educational opportunities.”
In addition to supporting bicentennial events focused on the state’s rich history, ALABAMA 200 is heavily invested in bolstering education programming initiatives for all citizens. Partnering with Reach Out and Read- Alabama speaks to a desire to support future generations, creating a point of pride for all Alabamians.
Jay Lamar
“As we celebrate the state’s bicentennial, we look back to our past, but we also look to our future,” said Jay Lamar, Executive Director of the Alabama Bicentennial Commission. “We want the next hundred years to be all they can be, which means nurturing a love of learning and achievement in our young people. Reach Out and Read-Alabama certainly does that.”
Charles Ghigna, better known to some as Father Goose, debuted Alabama, My Home Sweet Home, a bicentennial book for young readers in April, at theAlabama Book Festival. The work features a bear cub named Camellia who accompanies readers as they encounter famous Alabamians like Helen Keller,Rosa Parks and Jesse Owens in their respective time and place in history. Ghigna will represent the state of Alabama with Alabama My Home Sweet Homethis year at the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C., through the Discover Great Places
Through Reading program at the Library of Congress Center for the Book.
Each year, books are selected by a Center for the Book state affiliate or state library, and most are for children and young readers. Books may be written by authors from the state, take place in the state or celebrate the state’s culture and heritage.
Ghigna is the author of more than 100 books
Charles Ghigna
from Random House, Simon & Schuster, Time Inc., Disney, Scholastic, and Harper’s to Highlights and Cricket magazines. He served as poet- in-residence and chair of creative writing at the Alabama School of Fine Arts and is instructor of creative writing atSamford University. Ghigna has also appeared at the Library of Congress, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the American Library in Paris. Learn more at www.charlesghigna.com.
Alabama, My Home Sweet Home is illustrated by Michelle Hyde, a Philadelphia native who resides in Birmingham with her family. A graduate of theRingling College of Art & Design, Hyde has published work in The Charlotte Observer, The Birmingham News and elsewhere.
Media Release/Andi Martin, Marketing and Communications/Alabama Bicentennial Commission
