McDONALD’S PARTNERS WITH PUFFIN BOOKS’ BESTSELLING YOU CHOOSE SERIES TO BRING THE CREATIVE AND CONFIDENCE BOOSTING BOOKS TO HAPPY MEAL®

McDONALD’S PARTNERS WITH PUFFIN BOOKS’ BESTSELLING YOU CHOOSE SERIES TO BRING THE CREATIVE AND CONFIDENCE BOOSTING BOOKS TO HAPPY MEAL®

• New McDonald’s research reveals that too many distractions and a lack of access to different genres deter children from wanting to read more books.
• Parents say interactivity is key to increasing reading enjoyment, from quizzing kids on the story, to coming up with their own characters, to using dramatic narrator voices!
• Author & illustrator duo Pippa Goodhart and Nick Sharratt, creators of the bestselling You Choose series say the interactive books aim to boost children’s confidence and get them excited about reading
• You Choose books and activity journals are available in Happy Meal® from 19^th February

19^TH FEBRUARY 2025: McDonald’s is welcoming a book-led Happy Meal® to restaurants all over the UK this month to help children discover the fun of reading this World Book Day®. From Wednesday 19^th February, a choice of two You Choose books, published by Puffin, and eight You Choose activity journals will be available in restaurants in Happy Meal®. The books are perfect for shared reading and encouraging creativity across all reading abilities, inspiring even the youngest children to create their own fantastical stories again and again.

The launch comes as new figures from McDonald’s research shows that 40% of parents say their children are deterred from reading because there are too many distractions, from YouTube to TikTok videos, and over 1 in 5 parents (22%) say it’s because their children find words too hard to read. Additionally, 19% say a lack of access to a variety of genres is also a deterrent.

McDonald’s is committed to providing access to books for as many families as possible through its Happy Readers programme, which has distributed over 160 million books to date. One of the ways McDonald’s distributes to communities is through its partnerships with charities such as World Book Day®. This year, on 6^th March, families can collect a FREE You Choose book and until 23^rd March, they will receive a £1 book token with every Happy Meal purchase from every restaurant across the UK.

Finding News Ways to Make Reading Even More Fun

Parents are finding that interactivity is key to increasing enjoyment in reading. Fifty-three percent of parents ask their child questions about the story and encourage them to make predictions. Kids’ imaginations are sparked further by parents encouraging them to come up with their own characters to be part of the story (35%). With endless possibilities, the You Choose books allow children to pick between different characters, settings, clothing, vehicles, and more, to create new stories every time, supporting a life-long habit of reading for fun.

The new data also reveals the surprising ways British parents are trying to bring the fun back to reading for their kids – by thinking outside the box! Over half (51%) of parents use voices and sound effects when reading to their child (Gen Z parents do this more than any other generation (56% vs 43% of Gen X)), with the overly dramatic narrator role being the most popular voice used (38%). Parents are also more than happy to play the pirate (33%) but are less confident with cowboy drawls (3%).

The time of day can also make a huge difference to enjoyment levels. It’s not just traditional bedtime stories that are proving popular – over half (53%) of parents say their kids enjoy reading when they get home from school, with 1 in 5 (19%) saying reading when travelling is also enjoyable – the school commute is an ideal time to get a few chapters in!

McDonald’s Book Tour

To support the promotion, and show McDonalds is a place for families, McDonald’s will be going on a You Choose book tour between 15^th February and 23^rd March to 118 restaurants nationwide! Expect stages with You Choose themed props and brand ambassadors who will host and narrate stories that families can get involved with too.

McDonald’s Franchisee Jayne Aspin Mayne, who owns and operates two restaurants in the Warrington area, says: “As a mother of two myself, I know how hard it can be to find time to read with my kids and I’m always looking for ways to elevate their reading journeys. I’ve loved hearing all the ways parents are championing getting their kids excited about reading. At McDonald’s we want to support parents and provide them with a helping hand when it comes to children’s literacy. We’re so excited for the You Choose books to do just that.

“Reading together is such an important bonding time that gives kids a chance to let their imagination run wild and learn new words and about whole new worlds. I’m passionate about helping other families do this too, and not miss out on creating memories with their little ones.”

Pippa Goodhart and Nick Sharratt, creators of the You Choose books, say:

“Rather than telling a fixed story, our You Choose books let children choose purely for the fun of choosing. They can make silly or serious choices, be consistent or pick a daft mix of things. We are delighted that McDonald’s has chosen to promote reading for pleasure to a very large number of children particularly when statistics show that it is at its lowest since monitoring began two decades ago. Finding books and related activities as gifts in their Happy Meals gives children a clear message that books are exciting.We hope that this will encourage more children to create their own fantastical stories and in so doing, discover the fun you can have with a book.  We look forward to seeing the You Choose books being enjoyed by even more children across the country!”

ENDS

Research

Research conducted of 2,000 UK parents of children aged 4-11 by Mortar, February 2025.

World Book Day £1 Book Token

McDonald’s is a proud supporter of World Book Day. Those ordering a McDonald’s Happy Meal® will also receive a World Book Day £1 book token to exchange for a FREE book at a participating retailer from 13^th February – 23^rd March 2025. World Book Day’s £1 books are often the first book many children will own; in 2024, one in four children receiving Free School Meals said their £1 book was the first book of their own.*

PR Contact Details

Red Consultancy: McDonaldsWorldBookDay@redconsultancy.com

About You Choose

To date, over 2 million copies of the You Choose series, created by Pippa Goodhart and Nick Sharratt, and published by Puffin, have been sold in the UK since they first published over 20 years ago. Perfect for shared reading, and encouraging creativity across reading abilities, You Choose is a storytelling toolkit which will inspire even the youngest children to create their own fantastical stories again and again.