Laura Bush and daughter to publish children's book
NEW YORK (Reuters) - First Lady Laura Bush and her daughter Jenna have agreed to write a children's book about the joys of reading, their publisher said on Thursday.
Set in a school, the book is inspired by the classroom experiences of its authors who are both teachers, according to HarperCollins, a subsidiary of News Corporation.
"My mom has been my life-long inspiration, sharing her love of reading and books with Barbara and me since we were little girls," said Jenna Bush, according to a statement.
"I've taken that passion into the classroom."
The as yet untitled book, which features a mischievous boy whose teacher helps him discover that reading can be fun, will be published in English and Spanish in the spring of 2008.
It will be Laura Bush's first book, company spokeswoman Sandee Roston said. HarperCollins will also publish Jenna Bush's first book, Ana's Story, a non-fiction work for teenagers, in September.
When the children's book is published HarperCollins will donate $1 million worth of children's books to schools and public libraries.
The authors' net proceeds and a portion of the publisher's proceeds will go to two national non-profit teacher training and support organizations, Teach for America and the New Teacher Project.
Roston declined to comment on whether Bush or her daughter received an advance for the book, citing company policy.
Laura Bush has made literacy one of her signature issues, founding the National Book Festival in 2001 and serving as a literacy ambassador for the United Nations.
