Barnes & Noble Announces Free Storytime in June

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS), the nation's largest retail bookseller and the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products, today announced its June lineup of free Storytime events for children and families, all designed to celebrate the joy of reading, creativity and fun. The events center around the popular children's books The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle; Mighty Dads by author Joan Holub and illustrator James Dean; Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by author/illustrator Eileen Christelow; and El miedo de Iván (Ivan's Fear) written by Ariel Andres Almada and illustrated by Cha Coco.

Details are as follows:

The Very Hungry Caterpillar - On Wednesday, June 4, at 11 a.m., stores nationwide will celebrate reading via a free event for children ages 3 to 5 featuring a picture book considered a must for every toddler's library, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by author/illustrator Eric Carle. A caterpillar hatches out of his egg and is hungry. On Monday, he eats through one apple, on Tuesday, two pears, and so on. Vivid and colorful illustrations and ingenious layered pages help preschoolers learn the days of the week, the names of foods, numbers, and watch a caterpillar transform into a butterfly.

Participants will also enjoy a reading of the NOOK Books Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (narrated by Gwyneth Paltrow) and Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?, and the author's fun app, Eric Carle's My Very First App. Coloring, crafts and activities round out the fun.

Mighty Dads (Father's Day Storytime) - On Saturday, June 14, at 11 a.m., stores across the country will host a free Storytime for children ages 3 to 5 featuring Mighty Dads, the new "constructacular" picture book from New York Times bestselling author Joan Holub and Pete the Cat creator and illustrator James Dean.

Inventively told through James Dean's colorful construction vehicle characters, Mighty Dads is an adoring dedication to hardworking fathers and the subtle ways they teach their boys and girls to follow in their tracks. The Dump Trucks learn to get dirty. Crane keeps his little one safe from harm. The busy Cement Mixer gives his daughter a big hug. The Forklift cheers his son on. A surprising and touching view of a father's love for his children, Mighty Dads is the perfect way to say, "I'm proud of you!"

The book will be read and experienced on NOOK HD+, on which children will also experience some fun Father's Day apps, including Animals and Their Young, which helps children learn the names of baby animals, and the Father's Day App Puzzle. Participants will make a Father's Day card and enjoy treats from the Café.

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed - On Tuesday, June 24, at 11 a.m., children ages 4 to 8 will experience the laughter of Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by author and illustrator Eileen Christelow at stores nationwide.

"No more monkeys jumping on the bed!" This rhythmic romp is a counting lesson, too, as the five bouncy bed-jumpers bump their heads and get hauled off to the doctor one by one. Lively pencil and watercolor illustrations capture both the glee and the pratfalls of those misbehaving monkeys.

From June 3 to July 14, while supplies last, customers who want to bring the fun home can buy Five Little Monkeys Jumping on a Bed for only $3.99 with the purchase of any two children's books.

This story and other Five Little Monkeys books will also be experienced on NOOK HD+. Coloring activities, including the Drawing Pad app on NOOK, will inspire children to draw the monkeys doing zany activities and having new adventures.

Cuentacuentos: Storytime en Español featuring El miedo de Iván - During the month of June, at select Barnes & Noble stores only, children and their parents can experience a reading of the Spanish-language picture book, El miedo de Iván (Ivan's Fear), written by Ariel Andres Almada, with gorgeous illustrations by Cha Coco. The picture book tells the story of Ivan's nervous relationship to the sea, mist, loud noises - everything. And with all those frights and shivers, his dreams of having great adventures and visiting faraway places seem more and more unlikely. But could an unexpected visitor help him overcome his deepest fears? Could an old African song change his life forever? El miedo de Iván is an inspiring tale about bravery. Activities and word practice will round out the event.

Language learning through immersion-style events is key to the Common Core Standards and other curriculum programs. Barnes & Noble's Spanish Storytimes will appeal to parents who want their children to learn a language and native Spanish speakers looking to enjoy their language and increase their children's vocabularies through listening to stories read aloud.

Barnes & Noble Storytimes are free and open to the public. To discover more, including dates and times of the new Spanish-language Storytimes, visit the Barnes & Noble Store Locator.

About Barnes & Noble, Inc.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE:BKS) is a Fortune 500 company and the leading retailer of content, digital media and educational products. The company operates 663 Barnes & Noble bookstores in 50 states, and one of the Web's largest e-commerce sites, BN.com (www.bn.com). Its NOOK Media LLC subsidiary is a leader in the emerging digital reading and digital education markets. The NOOK digital business offers award-winning NOOK products and an expansive collection of digital reading and entertainment content through the NOOK Store (www.nook.com), while Barnes & Noble College Booksellers, LLC operates 696 bookstores serving over 4.6 million students and faculty members at colleges and universities across the United States.

General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained by visiting the company's corporate website: www.barnesandnobleinc.com.

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