So when I saw a box of Cheerios in the store with a book inside, I bought it. It was a no-brainer: I got something that nourishes both my sons’ bodies and their minds, for the price of a box of cereal.  That is, come to find out, the thinking behind Cheerios Spoonful of Stories program, to make it easy for children to get their hands on books. The whole project involves providing five books, determined through a rigorous and interactive selection process (including a contest for new authors to get original content), and providing the books free in specially-marked boxes of regular Cheerios starting in the month of November. Since 2001, when the program started, Cheerios has given away more than 50 million books that way.

It’s all part of Cheerios’ manufacturer General Mills‘ ongoing commitment to nurturing the whole child and connecting families by fostering a shared love of reading. This year alone, they will be providing 6 million books on-package. Cheerios themselves conducted a study of moms of children ages two to six about the role reading plays in their daily lives. The survey found that although today’s moms are prioritizing reading—67 percent read to their child at least once a day—nearly two-thirds (61 percent) say “busy schedules” prevent them from spending more time reading. The survey also examined moms’ perceptions of one of the greatest barriers to literacy today—lack of access to books.

In fact, the study showed that while in middle income neighborhoods the ratio of books per child is 13 to 1, in low-income neighborhoods, the ratio is one age-appropriate book for every 300 children. That’s why Cheerios has also donated more than $3.5 million to First Book, a children’s literacy non-profit that provides children from low-income families the opportunity to own their first new books. And, to celebrate the launch of the Cheerios® Facebook Fan Page, they  teamed up with First Book to launch the Cheerios® 6 Million Minute Read-A-Thon. The Challenge called upon individuals to pledge to read with their children 15 minutes each day.   By reaching the goal of 6 million minutes pledged, Cheerios fans on Facebook generated the donation of 250,000 new books to children in need. The books were distributed in partnership with First Book and Feeding America in fall 2010.

“Parents play a key role in helping their children become readers,” says Meredith Tutterow, Cheerios marketing manager. They’re hoping that by providing books in their cereal boxes, parents will take advantage of the opportunity to take a few short minutes over breakfast together to read with their children.  I have all five of these books now, and have enjoyed read them with my son: No T Rex in the Library by Tony Buzzeo, All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon, Jump! by Scott M. Fischer, Purple Kangaroo by Michael Ian Black, and Chaucer’s First Winter by Stephen Krensky.

What do you do to make time to read with your children?

Prizes for 10 Lucky Winners

Each of the 10 winners will receive the following:

• A box of Cheerios
• A set of the five Spoonfuls of Stories children’s books
• A $25 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble

This giveaway has an approximate retail value of $65.00.

Entry Requirements

To enter for a chance to win, you are required to do three things (make sure you leave a separate comment for each of your entries).
Note: Entries that do not follow all of these requirements will not be considered.

1. Leave a comment here, sharing your favorite children’s story either that you liked as a child or that you love reading with your children.
2. Follow @cheeriosbrand on Twitter.
3. Post these messages on Facebook and/or on Twitter and leave comments here, linking to your messages:

Join #gno Tues 10/13 (9-11 ET) 2 discuss children’s lit 4 #Cheerios #SpoonfulsofStories prog RSVP http://bit.ly/cvM8S PLS RT

GIVEAWAY! Enter 2 win #Cheerios #SpoonfulsofStories gift basket! Fun 4 whole fam! 10 Winners! http://bit.ly/EpBEb PLS RT

Extra Entries

You can earn up to two extra entries for this week’s giveaway.

1. Join the Mom It Forward Google Friend Connect. (See right-hand sidebar.)
2. Follow @momitforward on Twitter.

The Fine Print

No purchase necessary to enter. Winners will be selected randomly through http://random.org. General Mills, Cheerios, and Mom It Forward employees are ineligible to participate. All entries received after Sunday, October 18 at midnight PT will not be considered. Entries that do not follow all of the entry requirements will not be considered. Winners will be notified and will have 24 hours to confirm receipt of the e-mail. If they do not reply within 24 hours, another winner will be selected. Open to participants in the US and Canada 18 years and older.