Jimmy Fallon and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group to Donate $1,000,000 of Books to First Book This Holiday Season for Kids in Need

NEW YORK CITY, December 15, 2016 – Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, together with Jimmy Fallon, will make a donation of $1,000,000 worth of new books to First Book, including Fallon’s #1 New York Times bestselling title, YOUR BABY’S FIRST WORD WILL BE DADA.

The books donated to First Book by Macmillan and Jimmy Fallon will be provided to children in need through First Book’s network of more than 275,000 educators and program leaders nationwide.

“Even if a book is just the word ‘Dada’ and some animal noises, the confidence that you gain from reading and finishing your first book opens up a whole new world,” said Jimmy Fallon.

Jon Yaged, President & Publisher of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, said, “We couldn’t be happier to help facilitate Jimmy’s generosity, and to work with First Book to foster a love of reading in kids at an early age.”

“We are so excited and appreciative of this donation,” said Kyle Zimmer, President and CEO of First Book. “For the first time in our country’s history, more than half of the children in our public schools come from low-income families. The need for books and educational resources for these children has never been greater. We’re thrilled that Macmillan and Jimmy Fallon are making such a powerful gift this holiday season—and we look forward to sharing these books with children in Title I schools, shelters, child care centers, and a range of other deserving programs nationwide.”

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About Jimmy Fallon

Emmy Award and Grammy Award winner Jimmy Fallon took over NBC’s The Tonight Show in February 2014. With The Tonight Show, Fallon has expanded the boundaries of late night to play to his strengths and has been headlining with hilarity ever since. The #1 show in late night always offers more laughs and fun, with everyone being invited to the party. Each night viewers are in store for an hour full of unexpected, innovative comedy with celebrity guests and creative music-oriented bits. Fallon began his TV career with Saturday Night Live in 1998 and spent six successful years on the show. In 2009, he returned to NBC to host Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, a show that consistently garnered attention for its viral videos, celebrity games and A-list guests. Fallon and his wife, Nancy, live in New York with their daughters, Winnie Rose and Frances Cole, and the family’s female golden retriever, Gary Frick.

About Macmillan

Macmillan Publishers is a global trade book publishing company with prominent imprints around the world. Macmillan publishes a broad range of award-winning books for children and adults in all categories and formats.US publishers include Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Flatiron Books, Henry Holt and Company, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, Picador, St. Martin’s Press, and Tor/Forge. In the UK, Australia, India, and South Africa, Macmillan publishes under the Pan Macmillan name. The German company, Holtzbrinck Deutsche Buchverlage, includes among its imprints S. Fischer, Kiepenheuer & Witsch, Rowohlt, and Droemer Knaur. Macmillan Publishers is a division of the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group, a large family-owned media company headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany.

About First Book

First Book is a nonprofit social enterprise founded in 1992 that has distributed more than 150 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families throughout the United States and Canada, which, with more than 275,000 members, is the largest and fastest-growing network of educators exclusively serving kids in need. By making new, high-quality books and educational resources available on an ongoing basis, First Book is transforming the lives of children in need and elevating the quality of education. Eligible educators, librarians, providers, and others serving children in need can sign up at firstbook.org/register. For more information, please visit firstbook.org or follow the latest news on Facebook and Twitter.

Contacts:

Connect with our media team or download our media kit via the First Book Press Room.

Allison Verost, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group
Allison.Verost@macmillan.com
(646) 307-5738