While I was in San Francisco for the PBS Annual Meeting the PBS Kids VIPS got to tour a local Pottery Barn Kids store. There we learned about the reading challenge as we kearned about making a warm and inviting book nook for the kids. We were also provided with two Pottery Barn kids gift cards valued at $25. One to keep and one for a giveaway. You may enter my giveaway by leaving a comment on this post. I’ll use Random.org to pick one comment from the list on Friday June 20 and send the gift card to the winner provided that they live in the United States. More about the reading initiative after the jump.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (May 15, 2014) – Pottery Barn Kids, a member of the Williams-Sonoma, Inc. portfolio of brands, today announced the launch of its Summer Reading Challenge in partnership with PBS KIDS, the most educational media brand for children. The challenge, which runs through July 17, is designed to inspire a love of learning and literacy for kids and their families throughout the summer months.

Pottery Barn Kids is inviting children to ‘take the challenge’ by reading 8 books from a specially selected list of 20 children’s books. Each book was chosen based on favorites identified by Pottery Barn Kids customers, and features characters that excite the imagination in kids of all ages. The book list is available at Pottery Barn Kids stores in the US and Canada (excluding Quebec). Children that complete the book list and bring it to a Pottery Barn Kids location by July 31 will receive a free book and certificate of completion.

This year’s book list includes titles that will inspire and delight children of all ages, including:

· Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman

· Big Brothers Don’t Take Naps by Louise Borden

· Corduroy by Don Freeman

· Curious Baby Counting by H.A. Rey

· Good Night, Good Night Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld

· Grammy Lamby and the Secret Handshake by Kate Klise and M. Sarah Klise

· Heads by Matthew Van Fleet

· How Do Dinosaurs Count to Ten? By Mark Teague

· How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague

· Ladybug Girl by David Samon and Jacky Davis

· Llama Llama and the Bully Goat by Anna Dewdney

· Madeline and the Old House in Paris by John Bemelmans Marciano

· Nelly Gnu and Daddy Too by Anna Dewdney

· Olivia by Ian Falconer

· Paddington Bear by Michael Bond and R.W. Alley

· Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes by James Dean and Eric Litwin

· Sniff by Matthew Van Fleet

· Tallulah’s Toe Shoes by Marilyn Singer and Alexandra Boiger

· The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers

· What Sisters Do Best/What Brothers Do Best by Laura Numeroff and Lynn Munsinger

Special Weekly Story Time events with character appearances and giveaways in partnership with PBS KIDS will also be hosted at Pottery Barn Kids stores throughout the country through July 17.

Families can get involved in the Pottery Barn Kids Summer Reading Challenge and get more information about in-store events by visiting Pottery Barn Kids locations or the Store Events page on www.potterybarnkids.com. To learn more about Pottery Barn Kids, please visit www.potterybarnkids.com. Summer decorating trends are available on the Pottery Barn Kids blog, Building Blocks. For additional information on PBS KIDS, please visit http://pbskids.org/.

ABOUT POTTERY BARN KIDS
Pottery Barn Kids, a member of the Williams-Sonoma, Inc. portfolio of brands, launched in January 1999 and quickly became a premier retailer for children’s home furnishings and decorative accessories. Pottery Barn Kids offers exclusive designs that create kid-friendly, stylish and innovative spaces for the nursery, bedroom and playroom. Pottery Barn Kids operates 82 company-owned stores in the United States, Canada and Australia, offers international shipping to customers worldwide and has an unaffiliated franchisee that operates 12 stores in the Middle East. Pottery Barn Kids is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

ABOUT WILLIAMS-SONOMA, INC.
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is a specialty retailer of high-quality products for the home. These products, representing eight distinct merchandise strategies – Williams-Sonoma (cookware and wedding registry), Pottery Barn (furniture and wedding registry), Pottery Barn Kids (kids’ furniture and baby registry), PBteen (girls’ bedding and boys’ bedding), West Elm (modern furniture and room decor), Williams-Sonoma Home (luxury furniture and decorative accessories), Rejuvenation (lighting and hardware) and Mark and Graham (personalized gifts and gifts for the home) – are marketed through e‑commerce websites, direct mail catalogs and 595 stores. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. currently operates in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the U.K., offers international shipping to customers worldwide and has an unaffiliated franchisee that operates 27 stores in the Middle East.