Sleepy's Bedtime Stories asks Families to Pledge to Read Together

NEW YORK, March 30 /PRNewswire/ -- In the bustle to get kids off to bed each night, many parents are missing a great opportunity to both improve their children's literacy and spend quality time as a family. To encourage parents to bring back bedtime reading, Sleepy's, a family-owned and nationally available mattress company, is partnering with First Book, a non-profit organization that provides new books to children in need, and New York Times best-selling children's author, Laura Numeroff, to introduce Sleepy's Bedtime Stories, a program encouraging families to read together for at least 20 minutes each night.

"At Sleepy's, we are committed to helping our customers achieve the overall health benefits of a good night's sleep," said Adam Blank, Sleepy's Chief Operating Officer.  "We believe a good night's sleep begins with the comfort of a great mattress. But we also believe in the value of good bedtime story. That's why we teamed up with First Book to establish the Sleepy's Bedtime Stories program-- to help families understand the vast benefits of reading with your children at bedtime."

Research shows that just 20 minutes per night spent reading with your child can improve child literacy by 10 school days per year.  The Sleepy's Bedtime Stories program is asking parents to make a non-monetary pledge to read to their children at bedtime. Each pledge will support Sleepy's corporate contribution to First Book to provide new books to families in need and instill a love of reading for all children. Parents can visit any one of Sleepy's 700 locations in the Northeast to post their pledge or go online at www.Sleepysbedtimestories.com. Additionally, parents can log onto www.Sleepysbedtimestories.com  to enter for a chance to win lunch with Laura Numeroff in New York City.

"According to the U.S. Department of Education, 41 percent of fourth grade boys and 35 percent of fourth grade girls are reading below the basic level, and, in low-income, urban schools that number can be as high as 70 percent," says Kyle Zimmer, president and CEO of First Book. "First Book is thrilled to partner with Sleepy's and Laura Numeroff to encourage families to read together. Just a few minutes of reading before bedtime can make a significant difference for children and lead to a brighter future."

Laura Numeroff, the author of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and If You Give a Pig a Pancake, and Sleepy's will host a series of in-store book readings at select Sleepy's stores. Laura will read two books from her collection including When Sheep Sleep and her newest book The Jellybeans and the Big Book Bonanza, available in stores now. She will also sign free copies of her new book for children attending the reading events to take home. For locations and times, visit www.sleepysbedtimestories.com

"We applaud Sleepy's commitment to literacy by enabling First Book to bring new books to children and families who need them most in Sleepy's communities," said Ms. Zimmer. "Sleepy's is helping children in need open the doors to exploration, adventure and learning through new books."

ABOUT SLEEPY'S

Sleepy's, The Mattress Professionals(R) is a privately-owned 4 generation company with over 700 retail locations in thirteen states, spanning from Vermont to Virginia and available nationally through www.sleepys.com. Throughout Sleepy's 52-year history, they have supported the idea that one mattress does not fit all, carrying a wide selection of mattresses so their customers are certain to find the one that suits them best. Keeping up-to-date on all the latest innovations in sleep technology, Sleepy's, The Mattress Professionals(R) carries the latest in Sealy, Serta, Simmons, Beautyrest, Posturepedic, Tempur-Pedic, Sleep To Live mattresses and 12 other brands to fit any price range or comfort level. For more information, call 1-800-SLEEPYS (1-800-753-3797), or visit us at www.sleepys.com.

ABOUT FIRST BOOK

First Book provides new books to children in need, addressing one of the most important factors affecting literacy – access to books. An innovative leader in social enterprise, First Book has distributed more than 65 million free and low cost books in thousands of communities. First Book now has offices in the U.S. and Canada. For more information about the nonprofit First Book please visit www.firstbook.org.

ABOUT LAURA NUMEROFF

Child Author

Laura Numeroff is the author of thirty books for young readers in addition to the If You Give . . Book™ series, including The Chicken Sisters and Laura Numeroff's 10-Step Guide To Living With Your Monster. Laura is a past recipient of a Parents Choice Award and has two books on Oprah's Book Club list. She lives in Los Angeles, California. A portion of her royalties are donated to First Book, a national nonprofit organization that promotes children's literacy. http://www.lauranumeroff.com/

SOURCE Sleepy's