KINGSBURG, Calif., April 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Sun-Maid Growers of California is partnering with HarperCollins Publishers to promote early childhood reading with a healthy twist – snacking on Sun-Maid natural raisins. Customers who purchase a 6-pack of Sun-Maid natural raisins can also purchase a hardcover picture book for just $1.95 and proof of purchase. Three different book titles will be offered and a new title will be introduced every four weeks. The 12-week promotion begins today with the classic childhood book If You Give A Mouse A Cookie, by Laura Numeroff with illustrations by Felicia Bond; followed by Pete the Cat and His Magic Sunglasses, by Kimberly and James Dean; and finally The Mixed-Up Chameleon, by Eric Carle. Each book is valued at $17 to $18, and customers may collect all three.

Every book purchase is automatically entered into a Sweepstakes drawing for a library of classic books valued at $420. Ten winners will be announced at the end of each 4-week period for a total of 30 winners in all. No purchase is necessary to enter the sweepstakes and details of the book offer and sweepstakes promotion are available at www.sunmaidoffer.com

Sun-Maid's Snack 'n' Read is clearly aimed at parents with young children who are learning to read. "Special memories are created when parents and grandparents read to their children, and we want our raisins to be a part of that," said Jackie Grazier, Sun-Maid marketing director.

"We're thrilled to work with Sun Maid to get our books into the hands of so many families," said Andrea Rosen, Senior Vice President, Special Markets, HarperCollins Publishers.

Raisins are 100% fruit -- nutritious, wholesome, all natural with nothing artificial added. While raisins provide natural energy necessary for activities like learning to read, a recent study showed that raisins as a snack also promote satiety – the feeling of being full – to help avoid overeating. The study on grape product consumption by U.S. children and adults was published in the June 2013 issue of The Journal of Food Science, a publication of the Institute of Food Technology.

ABOUT SUN-MAID
Founded in 1912, Sun-Maid Growers of California is the world's largest producer and processor of raisins and other premium quality dried fruits. Sun-Maid's sales are approximately half retail consumer products and half ingredient products for items such as cereals, breads and a variety of other food products. Located in Kingsburg, California, in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley's raisin producing district, Sun-Maid products are distributed throughout the United States and in more than 50 countries around the world. For more information about Sun-Maid, visit www.sunmaid.com.

ABOUT HARPERCOLLINS CHILDREN'S BOOKS
HarperCollins Children's Books is one of the leading publishers of children's and teen books. Respected worldwide for its tradition of publishing quality, award-winning books for young readers, HarperCollins is home to many timeless treasures and bestsellers such as Charlotte's Web, The Chronicles of Narnia, Goodnight Moon, Where the Sidewalk Ends, the Ramona series, Where the Wild Things Are, The Graveyard Book, Warriors, Pete the Cat, Fancy Nancy, Divergent, and The Selection. Consistently at the forefront of digital innovation, HarperCollins Children's Books delights readers through engaging storytelling in all formats, including ebooks and apps. HarperCollins Children's Books is a division of HarperCollins Publishers, one of the leading English-language publishers in the world and a subsidiary of News Corp. Headquartered in New York, HarperCollins has publishing groups in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia/New Zealand, and India. You can visit HarperCollins Children's Books at www.harpercollinschildrens.com, www.EpicReads.com, and HarperCollins Publishers at www.harpercollins.com.

Contact: Jackie Grazier, jgrazier@sunmaid.com

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140421/76967

SOURCE Sun-Maid