DALLAS, TX March 10 /PRNewswire/ -- BOOK IT! Beginners(R) announced today that it is featuring the Charlie and Lola book series in its 2009 read-aloud program. Created and sponsored by Pizza Hut(R), the program encourages teachers to read aloud to students in preschool and pre-kindergarten to develop a lifelong love for reading and books.

The 2009 program launches March 2nd and lasts through April 24th. An estimated 35,000 preschools and child-care facilities will participate in the program this year.

"The Charlie and Lola books are a favorite of kids everywhere, and we're excited to feature them in this year's program," said Leslie Brunt BOOK IT! Beginners program director. "Charlie and Lola use their imaginative personalities to navigate through their worlds -- experiences children can relate to. The adventures in the Charlie and Lola books encourage kids' curiosity about the world around them and makes reading fun," Brunt said.

During the program, teachers will receive a free program packet that features Charlie and Lola theme-related materials for the classroom and for parents to use at home. Beginning March 2nd, teachers will read to the children for at least 60 minutes a week during the eight-week program. At the end of each four-week period, every child is rewarded with a certificate for a free Personal Pan Pizza(R) to redeem at participating Pizza Hut locations.

Children participating in the BOOK IT! Beginners Program graduate to the BOOK IT! National Reading Incentive Program for kindergarten through sixth grade students. Nearly one million classrooms nationwide are enrolled in the award-winning BOOK IT! Program. Both programs celebrate and encourage reading through pizza, praise, and recognition.

For nearly ten years, children around the world have been amused and entertained by the sweet and funny antics of Charlie and Lola through the pages of the internationally popular book series penned and illustrated by noted British author Lauren Child. In 2001, the first Charlie and Lola book, I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato, won the UK’s prestigious Kate Greenaway Medal. Based on the award-winning books, the hit Charlie and Lola television series for preschoolers airs on the Disney Channel's Playhouse Disney preschool programming block. The comedic and distinctive program produced by Tiger Aspect Productions, is an innovative and artful blend of cutting-edge animation, paper cut-out, fabric collage and photomontage that encapsulates the liveliness, tone and appeal of the books.

About Lauren Child
Child, a successful author and illustrator was born in England in 1967. Her stories and characters have captured the hearts of families and children internationally. Child has authored and illustrated more than 25 stories to share the wonderful world of reading with children across all borders.

About BOOK IT! Beginners
BOOK IT! Beginners is a read-aloud program that builds reading-readiness skills and establishes an at-home reading routine by providing interactive classroom materials to teachers. These materials add an exciting, hands-on activity to read-aloud time. A literacy activity with a strong parent component, BOOK IT! Beginners was established in 1998 and reaches over 1.7 million children. The objective is to develop a lifelong love of reading in children. For more information about BOOK IT! or BOOK IT! Beginners call 1-800-4BOOKIT or visit www.bookitprogram.com.

About Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut, an American icon, delivers more pizza, pasta and wings than any other restaurant. A shining example of success in American entrepreneurism, the company began 50 years ago in Wichita, Kansas and today operates more than 10,000 restaurants in hundreds of countries. In 2008 Pizza Hut was ranked #1 in customer satisfaction among national pizza chains by the American Customer Satisfaction Index. Pizza Hut, Inc. is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM). To check out what's new at "The Hut" visit www.pizzahut.com.

About Tiger Aspect Productions
Tiger Aspect Productions, an IMG Media company, is internationally recognized as one of the UK's most successful and prolific independent television producers. The company portfolio includes animation, comedy, drama, entertainment and factual genres. Tiger creates a wide range of critically acclaimed and award-winning programming for all the UK's major terrestrial and non-terrestrial broadcasters. In addition the company’s creative output now enjoys an increasingly high profile in the USA through its commissions for major stateside networks. Tiger's production slate includes primetime mainstream successes for BBC1 and ITV. These are complemented by a varied and genre defining range of programming for BBC2, Channel 4, Five, Sky, MTV and BBC3 and ITV2, 3 & 4. Current and recent successes include Charlie and Lola (CBeebies), Robin Hood (3 series for BBC One), Cook Yourself Thin (Channel 4), Paul Merton In China (Five) and Ross Kemp In Afghanistan (Sky One).

Pizza Hut, Inc.

Pizza Hut, Inc.

Pizza Hut, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM), serves and delivers more pizzas than any other pizza company in the world. With easy order options including the Pizza Hut app, mobile site, Facebook and Twitter messenger and Amazon devices, Pizza Hut is committed to providing an easy pizza experience - from order to delivery. Founded in 1958, Pizza Hut has become the most-recognized pizza restaurant in the world, operating more than 16,400 restaurants in more than 100 countries. Pizza Hut is also the proprietor of The Literacy Project, an initiative designed to enable access, empower teachers and inspire a lifelong love of reading. The program is rooted in the foundation set by the Pizza Hut BOOK IT! Program, which is the longest-running corporate supported literacy program, impacting more than 14 million students each year. For more information, visit www.pizzahut.com. Follow Pizza Hut on Facebook (www.facebook.com/PizzaHut), Twitter (www.twitter.com/pizzahut) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/pizzahut).

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