Cheerios® Serves Spoonfuls of Stories® for the 11th Year to Get Books into the Hands of Children

MINNEAPOLIS, April 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Furthering its commitment to nourish children's bodies and minds, Cheerios^® is expanding its Spoonfuls of Stories^® to reach older kids for the first time in the history of the 11-year program.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130425/NY01960LOGO )

As it has for the past decade, Cheerios^® Spoonfuls of Stories^® will provide eight million bilingual children's books free inside specially marked cereal boxes. In addition, 3 million chapter books for older children will be included in specially marked boxes of Honey Nut Cheerios^® for the very first time.

"Over the last decade we've seen how excited young children are to discover picture books in a box of Cheerios," said Meredith Tutterow, Cheerios marketing associate director.  "That's why we're thrilled to expand this program to reach older children with chapter books in Honey Nut Cheerios. We hope parents and children will simply spend time together enjoying these books."

Under the umbrella of General Mills, the Cheerios team is also making a $300,000 donation to First Book. First Book is a nonprofit social enterprise that, like Cheerios, recognizes that lack of access to books is the greatest barrier to success in school and in life. Since Spoonfuls of Stories' inception in 2002, Cheerios has distributed more than 70 million free children's books inside boxes and donated more than $4.1 million to First Book.

The four chapter books included inside specially marked Honey Nut Cheerios^® boxes are part of Academy Award winner William Joyce's "The Guardians of Childhood" series:

• "Toothiana, Battle Is Waged"
• "Toothiana, Tooth is Lost"
• "Toothiana, Panic Sets In"
• "Toothiana, A Queen Takes Flight"

The six titles now appearing in boxes of Cheerios^®, Apple Cinnamon Cheerios^®, Frosted Cheerios^®, and Chocolate Cheerios^® have been printed in both English and Spanish. This year's in-pack book offerings, appropriate for children ages three to eight and all from Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, are:

• "Dream Away" by Julia Durango
• "Where is Home, Little Pip?" by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman
• "Digby Takes Charge" by Caroline Jayne Church
• "Say What" by Angela DiTerlizzi
• "All the Water in the World" by George Ella Lyon and Katherine Tillotson
• New Author Contest winner "The Lost (and found) Balloon" by Celeste Jenkins

Beginning in May, General Mills is accepting manuscripts for its New Author Contest, which Jenkins won with "The Lost (and found) Balloon" in 2011. Authors can submit their original children's book May 1 through July 31, 2013 at www.SpoonfulsofStories.com. The winning book could be featured in specially marked boxes of Cheerios in 2015, the author has a chance to be offered a publishing contract with Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing and win $5000.  

To learn more about Spoonfuls of Stories, this year's in-pack books, or to donate to First Book, go to www.spoonfulsofstories.com.

About Cheerios®

Cheerios, America's No. 1 cereal, debuted in 1941 as Cheerioats.  The nation's first ready-to-eat oat cereal has since become one of the most trusted and recognized brands in America.  In fact, one of every 10 boxes of cereal sold in America is a box of Cheerios.  General Mills' popular franchise includes Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, Multi Grain Cheerios, Multi Grain Cheerios Peanut Butter, Chocolate Cheerios, Frosted Cheerios, Cinnamon Burst Cheerios, Fruity Cheerios, Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, Dulce de Leche Cheerios, Yogurt Burst Cheerios, Banana Nut Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Crunch.  Cheerios also has a publishing division that includes the popular Cheerios Play Books and other activity books.  For more information, go to www.cheerios.com.

About General Mills

General Mills is one of the world's leading food companies, operating in more than 100 countries. Its consumer brands include Cheerios, Haagen-Dazs, Nature Valley, Yoplait, Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Progresso and Old El Paso. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, General Mills had fiscal 2012 net sales of US $16.7 billion.

About First Book
First Book is a nonprofit social enterprise that has distributed more than 100 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families throughout the United States and Canada.  By making new, high-quality books available on an ongoing basis, First Book is transforming the lives of children in need and elevating the quality of education. For more information, please visit www.firstbook.org or follow their latest news on Facebook and Twitter.

About Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, a part of the CBS Corporation, is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed, electronic, and audio formats. Its divisions include Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, Simon & Schuster Audio, Simon & Schuster Digital, and international companies in Australia, Canada, India and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit our website at www.simonandschuster.com.

SOURCE General Mills