McDonald's has announced it’s making a big change to their iconic Happy Meals – and it’s good news for parents!
The fast food giant is celebrating the upcoming World Book Day (5th March) by giving children a free book with their Happy Meal.
It’s not the first year they have given away free books during this time of year, but they have replaced the toy in the past – whereas this year they get both.
So for £2.99, children will get a toy, drink, side and main, as well as a token to get a free book – not bad, eh?
Customers will receive the token with their Happy Meal between Wednesday 5 February and Tuesday 17 March.
Little ones can pick from the 12 World Book Day books, or use the token to get £1 off a book or audiobook costing £2.99 or more instead, at their local participating bookshop or supermarket between 27th February and 29th March.
The list includes Captain Underpants creator Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man: Three Stories in One (Scholastic), Laura Ellen Anderson’s newest Amelia Fang (Egmont) book, and Greg James and Chris Smith’s Kid Normal (Bloomsbury).
Speaking about the initiative, World Book Day chief executive Cassie Chadderton said, “We are thrilled to announce that World Book Day is working with McDonald’s to encourage even more families to share stories together.
“This partnership will help World Book Day to encourage all children to discover the joy of books and reading for pleasure.”
McDonald’s chief marketing officer Gareth Helm added, “We hope the distribution of World Book Day tokens on our Happy Meal boxes will encourage even more families to Share a Story and celebrate the magic of reading together.”
McDonald’s launched its Happy Readers campaign back in 2013, and has since given over 90 million books in the UK and Ireland - making it the largest provider of free books to children in the UK.
Gareth added, “We are incredibly proud of our Happy Readers scheme, with over 90 million books given away to families across the UK and Ireland since 2013.
"Our partnership with World Book Day is yet another way in which we are making it easier for families to enjoy reading together."
