# Just Say No to Pizza Hut's Book-It Program



## User101 (Mar 3, 2002)

Campaign for Commercial-Free Childhood is encouraging parents to stand up and help stop the Book-It Program

Quote:

1. In the midst of an epidemic of childhood obesity, BOOK IT! promotes Pizza Hut pizza as an integral part of required school curriculum for millions of young children. Pizza Hut's personal pizzas contain as many as 770 calories and 39 grams of fat.
2. BOOK IT! inserts a commercial brand into daily classroom routines, continually promoting Pizza Hut to a captive audience of students.
3. BOOK IT! bypasses parents by targeting children directly in schools and promotes family conflict if parents don't want to bring children to Pizza Hut to claim their reward.
4. BOOK IT! presents earning a reward as the goal of reading rather than its inherent pleasures - and may actually negatively affect children's interest in books.
You can read more here

There's a Book-It Fact Sheet you can print out and distribute here (it's a PDF)


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## La llorona (Mar 2, 2004)

The public school my DD attends promotes the program Book-it. It works like this...they give you a calendar the beginning of each month and you have to read a book daily to your child during the whole month (you write the name of the book in the space). When you read at least for fifteen days(15 books) during that specific month you return the calendar to the teacher who sees if you have read the minimun requirement and then they give you a coupon for your child for a free individual pizza. (so it would be a pizza per month).
Anyway we do it with my DD but we never send in the calendar, I personally hate pizzahut crappy unhealthy pizza!! I just wish they gave out a free book, it would make much more sense thangiving that crap out to little kindergarteners!!!


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## JanB (Mar 4, 2004)

Thank you for posting this. The insidious marketing to a captive audience is one of my biggest peeves and has been ever since I was in school myself. (I HATED "Channel One" and kept campaigning to get it removed but of course everyone just thought I was trying to be cute.







: )


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## onelilguysmommy (May 11, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *La llorona* 
The public school my DD attends promotes the program Book-it. It works like this...they give you a calendar the beginning of each month and you have to read a book daily to your child during the whole month (you write the name of the book in the space). When you read at least for fifteen days(15 books) during that specific month you return the calendar to the teacher who sees if you have read the minimun requirement and then they give you a coupon for your child for a free individual pizza. (so it would be a pizza per month).
Anyway we do it with my DD but we never send in the calendar, I personally hate pizzahut crappy unhealthy pizza!! I just wish they gave out a free book, it would make much more sense thangiving that crap out to little kindergarteners!!!

whoa, buddy!! see the whole point of this is for the kid to read to themselves..... i see issues with your setup beyond the commercialism. thats not right.
i should probably







: aobut now...


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## cam&kat's_mom (Jan 12, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *onelilguysmommy* 
whoa, buddy!! see the whole point of this is for the kid to read to themselves..... i see issues with your setup beyond the commercialism. thats not right.
i should probably







: aobut now...

I'd have to argue this point. Ths program is handed out to preschoolers and kindergarten students as well as elementary. Many students at that level cannot read to themselves. And the schools tell you to read with your child and fill in the sheet. So it's not that the parents are doing the kids work for them they are doing what they are told to.
Either way, It's a horrible incentive to read. I agree with the free book rather than the nasty pizza.


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## La llorona (Mar 2, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *onelilguysmommy* 
whoa, buddy!! see the whole point of this is for the kid to read to themselves..... i see issues with your setup beyond the commercialism. thats not right.
i should probably







: aobut now...











What are you talking about??? my DD goes to Kindergarden, I have to read to her.....


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## DoulaClara (Jan 3, 2006)

My school is doing this. I'm the kindergarten teacher, and I have to friggin-A hand these out. We're going to do the reading portion (there is a portion that the teachers have to do as well- I have the little cut-outs that I have to fill in titles on as well) and I feel like this is undermining the incentive I did make with the kids to order them a book of their choice from the May book orders if they all do their level best with sounding out words and "stretching" out words that they write.

I figured I would just send it home and not really make a huge deal out of it. If the parents do it, fantastic. If not, big deal.

Clara


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## onelilguysmommy (May 11, 2005)

im 20 today, so from k on up to 6th grade, i did this.. we had to do it OURSELVES. it was made clear in the directions from both teachers and directions that came with it that we had to do it ourselves, all the way on up. in k or so it could be a book that said cat on one page, hat on another but either way it was up to US to do, not the parents to do for us, and besides the pizza there were other things, we got free baseball tickets if we did the reading for at least i think 5 of the months? i think it was..
i dunno, as a former student who did it and read the directions that came with it and it was enforced big time, then i just feel thats not fair, like i would have when i was little... maybe im just weird








and yeah i think the pizza is kinda a weird reward, too, but i mean its sponsored by a piozza company, it woulkd be more weird to have something else as a reward lol


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## User101 (Mar 3, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *onelilguysmommy* 
and yeah i think the pizza is kinda a weird reward, too, but i mean its sponsored by a piozza company, it woulkd be more weird to have something else as a reward lol

That's the whole point. It's one big pizza hut commercial.

My kid's school does this, and it's non-optional. It's tied into their reading logs, which they _have_ to do. They have to read 8 books a month, and they're automatically given these little certificates for free pizza. Which puts me in the Mean Mama position of saying, "No, we're not going to Pizza Hut".


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## blizzard_babe (Feb 14, 2007)

*Sigh* I remember this from my childhood. As an adult who's pretty conscious about commercialism in school, I find it disturbing, but as a kid, I have to say, I bought into it 100%. I was a geeky bookworm... and it got me free pizza. It never occurred to me that I was being indoctrinated (and it certainly didn't occur to my parents, who were strapped for cash and glad for a "cheap" night out, with my younger sister and I getting fed for free), but we were. Pizza Hut chart on the wall, pizzas as a reward... Pizza Hut was our bookmaster.









And to this day, I like Pizza Hut's deep dish pizza crust. There's something there, methinks... hook 'em young. At least now I'm 300 air miles from the nearest 'Hut.


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## ahisma (May 11, 2006)

I do remember this from my childhood, and I know that I did it.

My DD, however, doesn't do it. I have never seen one of these come home from her school, and we do have a Pizza Hut nearby, walking distance actually.

I'd like to think that her school is making a conscious effort to act responsibly. Whatever the case, I'm grateful.


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## ahisma (May 11, 2006)

One more thought - around here, Barnes and Noble, a local bookstore, and the library ALL have reading rewards programs.

At the bookstores, you earn a free book. At the library you earn an ice-cream coupon, but it is a locally owned and family operated ice cream parlor, with tons of health options too (and admittedly shelves and shelves of candy, but at least it's the good stuff).

Are there not other options in other regions for schools to consider?


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## kathteach (Jun 6, 2004)

As a public school teacher I also had to do this program. I hated it. Whatever happened to the MS Read-a-Thon? Does anyone remember that?


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## Thalia the Muse (Jun 22, 2006)

Our library summer reading program earns the kids the right to choose a book (and they had a wide selection of good books, too -- I was surprised!), plus a pencil or eraser or other small doodad, plus an ice-cream cone certificate. Which we forgot to go collect; I mean, we didn't "forget" because we didn't want her to have ice-cream; it's just that no one really remembered to redeem it before it expired!

I don't like commercialized reading programs, but it seems to be all of a piece with the commercialized fundraisers we're supposed to shill for. I HATE those.


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## Luvmyboyz (Feb 11, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *onelilguysmommy* 
im 20 today, so from k on up to 6th grade, i did this.. we had to do it OURSELVES. it was made clear in the directions from both teachers and directions that came with it that we had to do it ourselves, all the way on up.


This is kind of OT.....most reading incentive programs allow for emergent or pre readers to be read to by their parent and this counts as reading time. Just like the Accelerated Reader program. Pre reading and emergent readers are allowed to have the books read to them as well as the test questions.


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## LookMommy! (Jun 16, 2002)

Does B&N have a similar program? We were in the US one summer and my dd10 could not believe that she would get rewarded for reading.

Here, we have a local English library that sponsors an ice cream party for families (not tied to schools) in the summer with story-based games and entertainment, and a free (second hand, donated book) if you bring your list of 10 books you read in the summer (or had read to you).

I remember getting $1 rebate for each "A" I had on my report card from The Gap some time in the 80s. That was totally worth it, since I wasn't studying for the jeans, it was just a nice promotion.

Maybe PH should offer a free book for every 10 pizzas eaten!


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## Aeress (Jan 25, 2005)

I didn't know they were still doing book it...until my dd came home with a bookit sheet. Nice!

DD doesn't seem to know about it so I might just ignore it.


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## Luvmyboyz (Feb 11, 2005)

My son's school has not participated in the pizza program (yet) but instead had a winter reading incentive with a unique ending. This year, the entire school worked toward a number of minutes read. If the school reached the goal (they did), the principal dressed up like a penguin for an assembly and waddled around for the rest of the day in the suit. It was called "Reading is Cool" and the kids loved it. I love it because instead of homework, drilling, and flash carding, the teachers expect parents to just curl up and read with their kids. It was a nice break from the everyday homework.


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## Thalia the Muse (Jun 22, 2006)

We're expected to keep a reading log, but also have her complete homework. In KINDERGARTEN! Dear school -- the time we spend making her do worksheets is time we would otherwise spend READING!


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## dallaschildren (Jun 14, 2003)

DS # 1's school has done this too. We haven't redeemed any of the certs. They just started a reading program that rewards the kids with Six Flags tickets. Much better.


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## ollineeba (Apr 12, 2005)

Our local homeschooling group does this, too. I haven't really thought too much about it... we were planning to do it because we eat there anyway (it's a family movie night treat once a month) and we read anyway.. so it just seemed to be a neat idea








There was also another reading program through Six Flags where you could earn a free ticket (and one for the educator, too!







) and I thought that sounded pretty cool.


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## CherryBomb (Feb 13, 2005)

It doesn't really bother me. We read, at minimum, 3 books at bedtime (and usually more through out the day) so we just mark those down. Admittedly I'm not a hard core food purist, so a personal pan pizza a couple times a year doesn't bother me. She eats very healthy on a daily basis and she's very thin and very active. And it's not like she only wants to read once a year when book it comes! I can see the concern for other kids who eat junk a lot and don't have parents who read to them, though. I also wish you could choose to get a book instead of pizza if you want. My daughter loves books and would probably choose that over pizza.








:


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## User101 (Mar 3, 2002)

If you'd like to discuss the positive side of the Book-It program (dang, that was hard to type







) you can start a thread in another forum, but Activism is not a debate forum.

Quote:

In addition - if you do not agree with a call to action/rally/protest, please do not post to the thread. Instead begin a thread in News & Current Events, or other appropriate forum, for discussion or the topic. Do not discuss the thread, or the original poster of the thread. If you find a counter cause of one posted here to be worthy, please start a new thread in Activism. THIS IS NOT A DEBATE BOARD.


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## Blooming (Feb 16, 2006)

My son has this at his school, he too is in kindergarten. We read every night and I don't bother to send in the record of what we read. We read to read, that in it's self is the reward.

Although I would not complain if they offered a free book. That just seems to come full circle then.

A bit OT: but my poor little guy recently came home and had gone to some assembly type thing where they filled the kids with visions of prizes for fund raising. The prize a limo ride to Pizza hut. Of course he came home begging to sell a bunch of expensive stuff because of the prizes. I was a bit angered nobody talked to the parents first before convincing our kids to sell a bunch of stuff for commercial prizes.


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## Seeking Refuge (Nov 2, 2002)

Got your back, I don't let the girls participate in that or the fundraisers where they sell cheap plastic junk manufactured with child labor either.


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## Storm Bride (Mar 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *blizzard_babe* 
And to this day, I like Pizza Hut's deep dish pizza crust. There's something there, methinks... hook 'em young.

While I can't argue that the "hook 'em young' approach seems to work, that doesn't necessarily have anything to do with your love of Pizza Hut deep dish. There was nothing short of starvation that could have persuaded me to eat pizza until I was about 16...and I _love_ Pizza Hut...


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## noeonend (Feb 2, 2007)

hmm...I had not even thought about it being a marketing ploy. My school did this when I was a kid, and it had not even crossed my mind. We are homeschooling when she is old enough, so I will do some other kind of reading rewards. Just a quick suggestion, for those that have kids doing it, have you thought about buying them a book or other prize when they bring home the coupon? That still gives them a reward, but takes the pizza out of the equation.


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## KermitMissesJim (Feb 12, 2004)

My son's school does this. He forgets to turn the sheet in (he reads 2-3 books per day). The one time he remembered, he didn't ask to redeem his certificate. I don't have a problem with pizza (or the Hut) as an occasional treat. I'm just pleased that my self-starter son thinks reading is its own reward. He knows more about the Titanic than I thought there _was_ to know.


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## asoulunbound (May 16, 2006)

I do agree with the commercialization in schools, but let me play devil's advocate for about five seconds:
I did this for years, we didn't have all the of the posters and adverts because I was homeschooled. As one of five kids, my parents were just excited to save money but still do something fun. Plus it meant no dishes for anyone to have to wash!








I realize that PH's food is not healthy- But as a kid I loved getting rewarded for something I liked to do. Plus, my parents made me keep a log anyway as part of my schooling. There was no extra work on our part except to haul the family down to the local PH.
For the record, I don't remember eating out all that much as a kid, we had friday family nights until I was like... 12 or something. We made our own pizzas. That's why Book-it was fun- it was the once in a blue moon treat.
All that to say, I didn't need book-it to inspire me.
And a free book would have been WAY cooler.


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## minkajane (Jun 5, 2005)

I walked into my son’s daycare the day after I read this thread and suddenly posters for the Book It program had appeared! I don’t mind them reading lots of books and keeping track of them (of course) but if they try to give me a coupon for pizza, I’m going to have a talk with the director. She’s a really sweet lady and she really listens to parents’ concerns, so I know she’ll at least consider what I have to say.


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## amey (Jan 20, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Blooming* 
A bit OT: but my poor little guy recently came home and had gone to some assembly type thing where they filled the kids with visions of prizes for fund raising. The prize a limo ride to Pizza hut. Of course he came home begging to sell a bunch of expensive stuff because of the prizes. I was a bit angered nobody talked to the parents first before convincing our kids to sell a bunch of stuff for commercial prizes.

Have you checked with the PTA/PTO? Often they are in charge of fundraisers. Go to a meeting and be heard!


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## wemoon (Aug 31, 2002)

I'm annoyed with this as well. Our school does it for Godfathers, because we have no PizzaHut in town. The thing that I hate most about it is that DD gets a certificate for a one free personal pan size pizza. What is the rest of the family going to eat? So then it forces me to buy pizza and I HATE to be forced into doing anything... so we haven't gone. I like what my son's K classroom does. After reading so much, the kids get to have their school lunch in the classroom with the teacher. Much cooler IMO.


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## crissei (Oct 17, 2004)

I am embarassed to say that I never thought of the negative side of this either. Until now, I had only fond memories of the program. Of course, I have also struggled with a weight problem since I was in elementary school...

I think the program was even worse when I was a kid. We just had to read five books for one pizza, and there was no limit. I read a lot...









Thanks for the heads up, it definately gives me some "food for thought"







pun intended


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## TheTruth (Apr 8, 2007)

Is there a word you can use to describe unhealthy food other thant "crap?"


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