Leading children's e-retailer eToys Inc., in partnership with talk-show host and children's advocate Rosie O'Donnell, kicked off a national children's literacy initiative on October 14. On last Thursday's Rosie O'Donnell Show, the host interviewed author J.K. Rowling and announced Rowling's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (currently atop the New York Times bestseller list) as the first selection in the "Rosie's Readers" children's book club, a new regular feature of the show. At the same time, eToys is launching a special "Rosie's Readers" section of its online bookstore. The collaboration is intended to promote children's books and reading as well as raise money for O'Donnell's For All Kids Foundation.
Each month, O'Donnell will personally select (with some input from in-house children's book editors at eToys) four "Rosie's Picks" book titles--one title for each of the following age groups (2“4, 4“6, 6“8 and 8“12). The selections, announced one per week, will be featured on O'Donnell's show and also spotlighted on the eToys site, along with select author interviews and a reading rewards program through which children can win prizes.
eToys will donate 10% of the revenues generated by the sales of "Rosie's Picks" titles on the site to the For All Kids Foundation. Each selected book will enjoy a four-week window of exposure on the "Rosie's Readers" page of the bookstore, during which it will be eligible for the charitable contribution.
