Beanstalk, a national literacy charity has announced that it will publish and distribute 16,000 copies of a special book titled "Jack and the Beanstalk and Other Beany Stories, Poems and Jokes" that will be given free of cost to children having reading difficulties.

To mark its 40^th anniversary, Beanstalk, a national literacy charity has announced the publication and distribution of 16,000 copies of a special book titled "Jack and the Beanstalk and Other Beany Stories, Poems and Jokes" that will be given free of cost to children having difficulties, reading. The book will also be given to Beanstalk reading helpers and school libraries.

"The ability to read is absolutely vital to ensure children can grow up to lead successful lives. For 40 years Beanstalk has been helping children to develop a lifelong love of reading," said Sue Porto, Chief Executive of Beanstalk in a press release. "We have published this book as a way of celebrating all we have achieved and to thank all the children, schools and reading helpers we have worked with in our 40th Anniversary year for their amazing efforts. We hope it will bring them many hours of pleasure and help to inspire more people to support our efforts to reach more children."

Barnes and Nobles have also contributed to this noble cause by donating free eBook versions of the book available on 1,000 NOOK Simple Touch eReaders. These ebooks will be donated to Beanstalk reading helpers through its partnership with the Get Reading campaign. The new book is a collection of stories by children's authors and illustrators that includes a play, three-verse stories and some "beany" jokes.

 "It is truly admirable that so many volunteers give their time to help children with literacy problems. By making this special Beanstalk book available on the donated NOOKs, alongside a selection of free eBooks from leading UK publishers, we're providing a powerful tool to help these children improve their reading skills. In addition, we have made reading more accessible to families across the UK by reducing prices on NOOK devices for a limited time," added Jim Hilt, Managing Director, Barnes & Noble.