By Sonya Davidson
You may have heard of the The Book of Awesome by Toronto-based writer Neil Pasricha. This book along with his "awesome" series has sold millions around the world landing him on the New York Times Bestselling list several times. Recently, Pasricha launched Awesome is Everywhere for kids a stunning interactive book (not what you think) but uses layers of hyper-photorealistic imagery and courages tapping and zooming.
This week First Book Canada, in partnership with Rakuten Kobo and Penguin Random House Canada, announced "The Awesome Project", a literary initiative that will provide elementary school-aged children with their very own first book as well as educational resources to help foster the love of reading.
Author Pasricha will be meeting with students across Southern Ontario at their schools. Each school will receive 1500 brand new books and a $1000 grant to purchase books and Kobo Readers through the First Book Canada marketplace at www.fbmpcanada.org.
In addtion each time a new customer in Canada purchases their first digital book from Kobo, until November 30, the company will ensure a child in need receives his or her own first book. For every new customer who signs up and makes a purchase at www.kobo.com/awesome, Kobo will donate $5 to First Book Canada. Each new Kobo customer will also receive a $5 credit to get them started reading right away.
"When I was a kid, books transported me to other places and helped broaden my horizons," said Pasricha. "I wrote this book to teach my son the power of attitude and awareness...I hope the book encourages them to notice the world around them and become engaged citizens and leaders of Canada."
That's pretty awesome.