<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</p><p>FREE UMLIMTED ACCESS TO ONLINE EBOOK PROGRAM FOR YOUNG CHILDREN</p><p>BookFlix™ is Available for Families at Home and at the Library</p><p>(HARRISBURG) – New e-reading technology being made available by the Pennsylvania Department of Education through libraries gives young children an exciting new way to experience books and learn to love reading. Library patrons across the state now have free access – at home or at their local library – to BookFlix, an online e-reading program from Scholastic that combines classic fictional storybooks with similarly themed nonfiction e-books to make reading more engaging for children ages three to eight. </p><p>Through programs like BookFlix that build early reading and comprehension skills, libraries can help Pennsylvania achieve one of the highest literacy rates in the country through increasing basic literacy, one of the five essential literacies promoted by PA Forward, an initiative of the Pennsylvania Library Association. </p><p>The BookFlix program is made available to public and school libraries statewide through POWER Library, Pennsylvania’s online resources. BookFlix pairs award-winning animated storybooks based on some of the best-selling children’s picture books of all time produced by Weston Woods with related nonfiction e-books from Scholastic, the global children’s publishing, education, and media company. Children will delight in watching their favorite books come to life on screen, then turning the electronic pages of an e-book to discover real-world facts and satisfy their curiosity about the world around them. </p><p>Scholastic BookFlix offers 105 multi-media fiction-nonfiction pairs, of which more than 30 are available in Spanish. Pairings include: Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type with Let’s Visit a Dairy Farm; The Snowy Day with Snowy Weather Days; and Happy Birthday Moon with The Moon. With additional pairings set for release in the future, BookFlix will continue to provide fresh content to early readers. </p><p>“BookFlix connects the library to the home,” said Hugh Roome, President of Scholastic Library Publishing. “In adopting Bookflix, Pennsylvania is making cutting-edge e-reading technology available to families with a library card anywhere they have an Internet connection. BookFlix offers a unique early literacy platform that introduces young readers to classic books and stories in new, digital formats.” </p><p>“The State Library is excited to support access to Bookflix, which is a great tool for learning and growing reading skills,” said Stacey Aldrich, State Librarian for Pennsylvania. Designed to provide an interactive experience for young users, the unique features of BookFlix include:</p><p> A “read-along” option that provides word-by-word highlighting so children can follow along as the fiction video is narrated and the nonfiction ebook is read aloud.  Narrated text and definitions of key vocabulary words to support beginning and reluctant readers, as well as English Language Learners;  Educational games and activities that encourage children to show what they have learned and to reinforce early reading skills like fluency, vocabulary development and reading comprehension;  Biographies and interviews that introduce young readers to their favorite authors; and  Safe, age-appropriate web links to encourage children to further explore topics that pique their interest.</p><p>Pennsylvania libraries are uniquely positioned to help our youth by providing high- quality early learning opportunities. For more information on how libraries impact Pennsylvania, visit www.paforward.org. </p><p>For more information about Scholastic, visit their media room http://mediaroom.scholastic.com. </p>