In the midst of the Bogotá International Book Fair, which culminates its 35th edition tomorrow, Tuesday, May 2, several activities focused on children's literature have stood out.

One of them is the Happy Meal Books initiative by Arcos Dorados and its new collection of children's titles called ‘Yo puedo,’ with which they have promoted a cultural agenda among children that includes sung stories, artistic and writing workshops in the classroom, and reading of McDonald's Happy Meal Books that will be open until the closing of the Fair in the Children's Pavilion.

David Grinberg, vice president of Corporate Communications at Arcos Dorados, pointed out:

In this way, we also promote fun and meaningful moments of encounter between adults and children.

Promoting Reading

Arcos Dorados, the largest independent McDonald's franchisee in the world and the largest quick-service restaurant chain in Latin America and the Caribbean, highlighted that it has delivered more than 29 million copies, being one of the largest distributors of children's books in Latin America, and it pointed out that in Colombia more than 1,500,000 copies have already been distributed.

“Closing educational gaps is a great challenge in Latin America, which is why at Arcos Dorados and McDonald's Happy Meals we want to facilitate children's access to books that inspire them to develop the habit of reading. Thus, we support families in improving their children's skills when it comes to reading and writing,” added Grinberg

The initiative, which is part of the company's socio-environmental strategy and which responds to the challenge posed by access to children's books in Latin American countries, promotes reading spaces among girls and boys as a commitment to their intellectual and creative development.

This year, the campaign included a special area of ‘Blue Spaces,’ where boys and girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder have been able to enjoy a friendly environment, with the least possible amount of sensory stimuli so as not to generate annoying sounds for them.

¡Elegimos la imaginación del mundo de los libros!

Vivamos juntos la #FILBO2023 pidiendo tu Cajita Feliz por AutoMac y visitando del 18 de abril al 02 de mayo nuestra sala de lectura en el Pabellón Infantil. pic.twitter.com/4FZgjBdC9l

— McDonald's Colombia (@McDonaldsCol) April 19, 2023

About the Collection

“The habit of reading is a fundamental tool for understanding the world in childhood and today, for different reasons, it is being lost. With this initiative we seek to promote this activity, because reading is not only very entertaining, but also helps children to express their own feelings. This new collection has the purpose of inspiring through stories of historical figures, motivating and developing their talents in any field, we celebrate our participation in the most relevant cultural event in Colombia and the Andean Region,” highlighted Héctor Orozco, general director of Arcos Dorados.

The 'Yo Puedo' collection has offered the public a series of books, created exclusively for the franchise, which narrate what the childhood of famous people around the world was like and what inspired them to dream, among which the following stood out: painter Frida Kahlo; the leader and activist Martin Luther King; the musician Elton John; and the singer Ella Fitzgerald.

The books in the Happy Meal collection are produced on paper certified by the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council), complying with the high environmental standards of the Arcos Dorados regional strategy aimed at minimizing the impact of its operation on the environment.

Likewise, this action is also aligned with McDonald's global commitment to evolve its Happy Meal and deliver by the end of 2025 books or toys made entirely of renewable, recycled and certified materials.