First Lady Carla Markell reads to students in Delaware as a holiday Reading Ambassador.

For the past four summers, Governors and Governors’ Spouses from across the country have come together as “Reading Ambassadors” of the Scholastic Summer Challenge to help spread the importance of literacy. This holiday season, 42 U.S. Governors’ Spouses, plus the Governors of Illinois, Vermont, and Arizona, have once again joined forces as Reading Ambassadors to give the gift of reading to America’s children.

To ensure that more kids across the country have books to read at home this holiday season, Scholastic is donating 500 books to the school or organization of each Reading Ambassador’s choice. That means the Reading Ambassadors–many of whom are personally delivering books and hosting holiday reading events–are getting 22,500 new books into the hands of children nationwide.

The Governors and Governors’ Spouses participating as Reading Ambassadors this holiday season are (to date):

• Alabama – First Lady Dianne Bentley
• Alaska – First Lady Sandy Parnell
• American Samoa – First Lady Mary Ann Tulafono
• Arizona – Governor Jan Brewer
• Arkansas – First Lady Ginger Beebe
• Colorado – First Lady Helen Thorpe
• Delaware – First Lady Carla Markell
• Florida – First Lady Ann Scott
• Georgia – First Lady Sandra Deal
• Guam – First Lady Christine Calvo
• Hawaii – First Lady Dr. Nancie Caraway
• Idaho – First Lady Lori Otter
• Illinois – Governor Pat Quinn
• Iowa – First Lady Christine Branstad
• Kansas – First Lady Mary Brownback
• Kentucky – First Lady Jane Beshear
• Louisiana – First Lady Supriya Jindal
• Maine – First Lady Ann LePage
• Maryland – First Lady Katie O’Malley
• Massachusetts – First Lady Diane Patrick
• Missouri – First Lady Georganne Nixon
• Nebraska – First Lady Sally Ganem
• Nevada – First Lady Kathleen Sandoval
• New Hampshire – First Lady Dr. Susan Lynch
• New Jersey – First Lady Mary Pat Christie
• New Mexico – First Gentleman Chuck Franco
• North Carolina – First Gentleman Bob Eaves
• North Dakota – First Lady Betsy Dalrymple
• Ohio – First Lady Karen Kasich
• Oklahoma – First Gentleman Wade Christensen
• Oregon – First Lady Cylvia Hayes
• Pennsylvania – First Lady Susan Corbett
• Puerto Rico – First Lady Luce Vela
• Rhode Island – First Lady Stephanie Chafee
• South Dakota – First Lady Linda Daugaard
• St. Thomas Virgin Islands – First Lady Cecile de Jongh
• Tennessee – First Lady Crissy Haslam
• Texas – First Lady Anita Perry
• Utah – First Lady Jeanette Herbert
• Vermont – Governor Peter Shumlin
• Virginia – First Lady Maureen McDonnell
• Washington – First Gentleman Mike Gregoire
• West Virginia – First Lady Joanne Jaeger Tomblin
• Wisconsin – First Lady Tonette Walker
• Wyoming – First Lady Carol Mead

A huge thank you to all of our holiday Reading Ambassadors for encouraging kids across the country to read every day!