ACTOR, COMEDIAN, AND AUTHOR KEVIN HART RETURNS TO HOMETOWN FOR VIRTUAL EVENT WITH SCHOOL DISTRICT OF PHILADELPHIA FOR DEBUT CHILDREN'S BOOK, MARCUS MAKES A MOVIE

NEW YORK, Dec. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In partnership with First Book and the School District of Philadelphia, Random House Children's Books is excited to bring beloved comedian, actor, producer, entrepreneur, and #1 New York Times bestselling author Kevin Hart back to his hometown of Philadelphia for a major virtual event with Philadelphia schools today, Thursday, December 16. The conversation, moderated by CBS Philly reporter Natasha Brown, features a Q&A with the author and six students from his alma mater, Allen M. Stearne Elementary School. During the event, Hart discusses his new children's novel, Marcus Makes a Movie, the first in a series, and shares his message to kids that through hard work, perseverance, and teamwork, they too can make their dreams a reality. More than 1,000 copies of Marcus Makes a Movie are being donated to participating schools for their classrooms and libraries, and each third, fourth, and fifth grade student at Stearne will receive their own copy of the book.

In his answers to Brown and Stearne students, Hart shares personal experiences that influenced aspects of Marcus Makes a Movie and addresses the need for stories that represent children of color, the importance of having a dream and working toward it, and his mission to inspire today's youth to achieve greatness. Says Hart: "I want to be proof that if you put your mind to something, ultimately it can pay off."

The pre-recorded event will stream to participating schools on Thursday, December 16, and will be available for teachers to watch with their classrooms at their convenience through the end of the year.

Kevin Hart is an Emmy-nominated producer who was born and raised in Philadelphia, where he launched his career as a comedian during an amateur night at a local comedy club. Over the years Hart has become a Hollywood powerhouse, opening ten films at number one at the box office. Hart has popularized characters in the beloved Jumanji franchise and The Secret Life of Pets 2, his newest stand-up special became Netflix's biggest stand-up special of 2020, and his memoir, I Can't Make This Up, debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list, remaining on the Top 10 Print Hardcover Bestsellers List for ten weeks straight. In addition to selling out theaters and arenas for his comedy tours, Hart is the founder of the Laugh Out Loud Network, which serves as a platform for emerging comedians and is home to two premium series both featuring Hart. Hart also launched Laugh Out Loud Radio channel 96 on SiriusXM, with Hart hosting alongside longtime friends and fellow comedians the Plastic Cup Boyz. In April 2019, their featured talk show Straight from the Hart became available on Pandora and is now the number one podcast across all genres.

Random House Children's Books (rhcbooks.com) is the world's largest English-language children's trade book publisher. Creating books for toddlers through young adult readers, in all formats from board books to activity books to picture books, novels, and nonfiction, the imprints of Random House Children's Books bring together award-winning authors and illustrators, world-famous franchise characters, and multimillion-copy series. Random House Children's Books is a division of Penguin Random House LLC. For more information, visit rhcbooks.com, or follow them on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

First Book was founded in Washington, D.C., in 1992 as a 501(c)3 nonprofit social enterprise and is now a leader in the educational equity field and. Over its 29-year history, First Book has distributed more than 200 million books and educational resources, with a retail value of more than $2 billion. First Book believes education offers children in need the best path out of poverty. First Book breaks down barriers to quality education by providing its network of more than 525,000 registered teachers, librarians, after school program leaders, and others serving children in need with millions of free and affordable new, high-quality books, educational resources, and basic needs items through the award-winning First Book Marketplace nonprofit e-commerce site. The First Book Network comprises the largest and fastest-growing community of formal and informal educators serving children in need.

First Book also expands the breadth and depth of the education field through a family of social enterprises, including First Book Research & Insights, its proprietary research initiative, and the First Book Accelerator, which brings best-in-class research-based strategies to the classroom via relevant, usable educator resources. First Book Impact Funds target support to areas of need, such as rural communities or increasing diversity in children's books. For more information, visit firstbook.org or follow the latest news on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

MARCUS MAKES A MOVIE
By Kevin Hart and Geoff Rodkey; illustrated by David Cooper;
Crown Books for Young Readers | 224 pages | Ages 8–12 | On sale June 1, 2021
HC: 978-0-593-17914-7 / $16.99/$22.99 Can. | EL: 978-0-593-17916-1 / $9.99/$10.99

Audiobook narrated by Kevin Hart
Listening Library | On sale June 1, 2021
DN: 978-0-593-21243-1 / $18.00/$24.00 Can. | CD: 978-0-593-41117-9 / $30.00/$40.00

MEDIA CONTACTS:
Josh Redlich, Publicity Manager, Random House Children's Books 
[email protected] | 212-782-8335

Noreen Herits, Executive Director, Publicity, Random House Children's Books 
[email protected] | 212-782-9043

Ian Kenison, Media Relations Manager, First Book
[email protected] | 603-568-0558

Christina Clark, Communications Officer, School District of Philadelphia
[email protected] | 267-694-0464

SOURCE First Book