Jenny Garth Supports Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories Program

Cheerios is bringing back its Spoonfuls of Stories program. The program is dedicated to putting books in the hands of eager young readers while encouraging parents to read with their children. Jenny Garth, actress and mother of three, has fast become one of the most vocal supporters of Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories program after reading the results of a national survey fielded by Cheerios to moms across all demographics. One of the surveys findings, "Four in ten moms do not think there is a drastic disparity between middle and lower-income neighborhoods in the U.S. when it comes to children's access to books."

According to First in Books website, statistics from the International Reading Association show that "80% of preschool and after-school programs serving low-income populations have no age-appropriate books for their children." First in Books is a non-profit organization dedicated to placing books into the hands of children in need.

In a Cheerios press release about the Spoonfuls for Stories program, Jenny Garth said of her support for the campaign, "As a mother of three inquisitive daughters, I know how important it is to take time out of our busy lives to read to our children on a daily basis and to instill this important ritual at a young age. Along with nearly forty percent of the moms surveyed by Cheerios, I too, was not aware that when it comes to children's access to books, there is a drastic disparity between middle and lower income neighborhoods in the U.S. That's why I'm thrilled to be a part of an initiative aiming to provide millions of families with access to wonderful children's books and encouraging families to read together."

Spoonfuls of Stories began in 2001 with Cheerios releasing books from Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing inside Cheerios boxes. Some of the first authors and stories children were able to read through the program since its inception include actor John Lithgow's story Micabwer, Judy Barrett's Cloudy with a Chance of Meatball's (eventually made into a movie), Karma Wilson's Bear Snore's On, Doreen Cronin's Giggle Giggle Quack (also author of Click Clack Moo), and many other memorable authors and books.

In addition to placing 50 million books in cereal boxes Cheerios will also be making a donation to First in Books in the amount of $300,000 to further encourage reading and make sure children from low-income families have access to books.

Five books are being offered inside Cheerios cereal boxes during the Spoonfuls of Stories program; All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon and illustrated by Marla Frazee , Chaucer's First Winter by Stephen Krensky and illustrated by Henry Cole , Jump! by Scott M. Fischer, No T. Rex in the Library by Toni Buzzeo and illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa, and The Purple Kangaroo by comedian Michael Ian Black and illustrated by Peter Brown. Look for them the next time you walk down the cereal aisle.