For six weeks from tomorrow, Happy Meals across New Zealand will include a Roald Dahl book. This collaboration is part of McDonald’s global Happy Meal Readers programme which seeks to inspire a lifelong passion for reading. Each book will feature extracts from the original Dahl titles, a selection of stickers and activities, and iconic illustrations by Quentin Blake. The titles included are Dahl’s Fantabulous BFG, Lucky Charlie Bucket, Brave Little Sophie, Wonderful Willy Wonka, Marvellous Miss Honey, and Matilda.
A recent survey from The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) found that 40% of Kiwi adults cannot read at a day-to-day functioning level. It also found that literacy in New Zealand primary school-aged children has decreased significantly in the last five years. Jo Mitchell, director of marketing at McDonald’s New Zealand, explains, “The Happy Meal Readers programme is all about helping parents to get their children to enjoy reading.”
A different Roald Dahl book will be available each week with Happy Meals or can be purchased individually from the 24th of January.
