October is literacy month, and starting today — Tuesday — the Edmonds Bookshop  and Comstock Jewelers in downtown Edmonds are teaming up for the second straight year to promote literacy in Washington State.

Comstock Jewelers is urging donations of new children’s books, which will be distributed through the Seattle Alumnae Club of Pi Beta Phi and Page Ahead to at-risk children who have never owned a new book, nor have any books in their home. The Edmonds Bookshop will give a 20-percent discount on any books purchased for this endeavor and also provide a coupon for a drawing at Comstock Jewelers. Book donors at the jewelry store also will receive a coupon for the drawing for a pair of pearl stud earrings valued at $195. The Cat in the Hat will draw out the winning coupon on Nov. 1.

Not only that, but the Cat in the Hat will be present to pose for photos and to read to children at the Edmonds Bookshop on Thursday, October 11 from  6-7 p.m. and also at Comstock Jewelers during the monthly Edmonds Art Walk on Thursday, Oct. 18 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

“We are asking for new children’s books aimed at about third-grade level to be dropped off at the special collection box in the store,” said owner Brian Comstock. “We are so excited to be able to help with this very worthwhile endeavor,” added Mary Kay Sneeringer, owner of the Edmonds Bookshop. who has worked with Page Ahead for many years.

The project was initiated by Seattle Alumnae Club of Pi Beta Phi Fraternity through Page Ahead. Studies shows that the number one predictor of academic success in childhood is children who have books in the home and are read to on a regular basis, and that so many of society’s problems are rooted in illiteracy. For more than 100 years, Pi Beta Phi has been a pioneer of philanthropy particularly in the field of education and literacy providing tools, which support literacy skill development other preschool programs. Last year, Page Ahead distributed more than 80,000 new books to 30,000 children in need in 20 counties across Washington, many of which were donated through Pi Beta Phi’s literacy projects.

The Seattle Alumnae Club of Pi Beta Phi aids Page Ahead through motivational reading events to excite kids about reading, and providing books to read, share, and cherish.  Studies have shown that providing new books and developing reading activities that empower at-risk children helped 91 percent of children grow more interested in reading and learning, 75 percent of children increased the amount of material they read, and 74 percent of parents became more involved in their child’s reading.

The Edmonds Bookshop is located at 111 5th Ave. S. and is open every day. The jewelry store is located at 411 Main St., and is closed Sundays and Mondays. The book collection runs from now through Oct. 31.