Contact:  Martin Ackley, Director of Communications 517-241-4395
Agency: Education

October 13, 2009
LANSING - State Librarian Nancy Robertson today announced that Governor Jennifer M. Granholm recently volunteered her time to record an audio version of Deborah Diesen's The Pout-Pout Fish, the book around which all activities will center for Michigan Reads! 2009.  
 
"One of our most important responsibilities as adults is to help children of all ages and abilities embrace the power and enjoyment of reading," said Granholm.  "It was an honor to provide a voice for the entertaining and quirky characters in The Pout-Pout Fish."
 
Robertson said that it's very fitting for our Michigan Reads! honorary chair to also narrate the story.  

"Governor Granholm is a staunch supporter of early-childhood education, especially the advancement of literacy," she said. "Her willingness to participate at this level - along with WKAR, which donated the studio time - will go a long way toward ensuring that as many families as possible statewide can enjoy this enchanting barnyard tale."

The Michigan Reads! program, part of Granholm's Project Great Start initiative, seeks to create a collective reading experience and focus public interest and awareness on books, reading, and early childhood literacy.  
 
The program encourages parents, caregivers, librarians, and educators across the state to join in reading The Pout-Pout Fish to preschool children during October 2009 as the featured title for Michigan Reads!  Author Deborah Diesen will visit 12 Michigan cities and provide 24 programs at public and school libraries during October.
 
Susan Chinault, director of the Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (SBPH), said the dubbed four-track tapes of The Pout-Pout Fish should be ready for use by the end of January.  Chinault said the Governor's involvement will help spread the word about the services SBPH provides to blind residents.  
"This is the second time the Library of Michigan has coordinated a ‘celebrity reading' with Gov. Granholm, and we hope it draws attention to the tens of thousands of titles we offer free of charge to patrons!"
 
The Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped circulates approximately 300,000 titles every year.  Last year, roughly 675,000 titles were circulated throughout the entire statewide network of regional and sub-regional libraries.
 
Chinault said SBPH partners with the Commission for the Blind Training Center in Kalamazoo (which has a deposit collection), over 100 public and private schools, 12 hospitals and 60 nursing homes.  The audio titles are available at no cost to anyone with a visual or physical disability that makes reading standard print difficult.  While most patrons are Michigan residents, some requests for inter-library loans do come from out-of-state libraries for their blind patrons.  For more information about the Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, call 1-800-992-9012.
 
Coordinated by the Library of Michigan in cooperation with libraries around the state, Michigan Reads! also recognizes the vital role of public libraries, which provide access to quality books, programs and services that lay the foundation for reading and school success.  To learn more about Michigan Reads!, contact michiganreads@michigan.gov, visit www.michigan.gov/michiganreads, or contact your local library.