Now through Feb. 15, children who get a Happy Meal from fast-food chain McDonalds will go home with a book instead of a toy; the restaurant will be distributing a total of 17 million books this way.

"The Happy Meals will contain one of four books, including the classic ‘Paddington' by Michael Bond and illustrated by R. W. Alley. The three other titles all have Valentine's Day themes: 'Clark the Shark Takes Heart' by Bruce Hale and illustrated by Guy Francis; 'Happy Valentine’s Day, Mouse!'by Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond; and 'Pete the Cat: Valentine’s Day Is Cool' by Kimberly and James Dean,” said The Los Angeles Times.

The petite books are made specifically to fit into Happy Meals and in some locations will also be made available in Spanish.

This is the third year that McDonalds has distributed books in its Happy Meals, and the L.A. Times says it will have distributed a total of 50 million books by Feb. 15.

The distribution is made possible by a partnership with Reading Is Fundamental, a non-profit that is helping McDonalds provide books to children who need them.

"We’re pleased McDonald’s is helping millions of children discover the joy of reading,” Carol H. Rasco, president and CEO of the organization, told the L.A. Times.

The topic was trending on Facebook today, and opinions across social media are diverse.

Some say that while they traditionally don’t let their children have McDonalds, the prospect of going home with a book has them changing their minds.

“I know that McDonald's is a big no-no for some, but they deserve a shout out for this promotion. I used to work at a school where kids had few (if any) books. I would bring them the free books that came in boxes of Cheerios and they'd flip their lids with excitement! This may be the only reading material that some children are exposed to outside of school. So, good on ya, McDonald’s!,” said one Facebook user.

Others wish the company will do the promotion for longer. "I think McDonald's should give out books all the time,” one user said.

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

2/4/2016