TORONTO, Oct. 21, 2013 /CNW/ - This fall, Canadian Grade One Students, from coast-to-coast will be receiving their very own copy of the award-winning picture book, Boy Soup, written by Loris Lesynski, illustrated by Michael Martchenko and published by Annick Press. TD Bank Group, with the Canadian Children's Book Centre (CCBC), will be distributing more than 500,000 copies as part of the annual TD Grade One Book Giveaway to celebrate the importance of children's literacy and encourage the joy of reading.

This year's program will take young readers on a rhyming journey with a sick giant. In order to cure his raspy throat, the giant needs a bowl of Boy Soup, but what the giant doesn't count on is catching a clever girl named Kate along with the boys. Boy Soup brings friendship, courage and fast-thinking to life as Kate saves her friends from their bubbling fate.

"As far as I can remember, I've always loved telling stories that inspire the imagination," says Loris Lesynski, author of Boy Soup. "It's a great honour to be part of the TD Grade One Book Giveaway and I'm extremely excited to help inspire thousands of children across Canada to use their own imagination and creativity through reading."

Now in its 14^th year, the TD Grade One Book Giveaway has distributed over five million books across the country and is supported by school boards and ministries of education and library organizations in all provinces and territories.

"TD has always been dedicated to promoting children's literacy in Canada. By giving children the gift of a book to read at home, we're hoping that children will seek out even more books to read," says Frank McKenna, Deputy Chair, TD Bank Group and TD's Literacy Advocate. "We want children to be excited about reading and that's exactly why we choose books like Boy Soup - it's a colourful story paired with exciting illustrations that really jump off the page."

"It's always an exciting time of year around the TD Grade One Book Giveaway," says Charlotte Teeple, Executive Director, Canadian Children's Book Centre. "We know that the program is well-received by the children, teachers and parents - and it is truly rewarding to see how thrilled the students are to take their books home and start turning the pages."

As part of the TD Grade One Book Giveaway, Loris Lesynski and Michael Martchenko will be doing a cross-Canada tour in November.

For more information on the TD Grade One Book Giveaway visit www.tdreads.com and for information on the Canadian Children's Book Centre visit www.bookcentre.ca.

TD Community Giving
TD Bank Group invests in communities to make a positive impact where it does business and where our customers, clients and employees live and work. In 2012, TD Bank Group donated over $65 million to support community organizations in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. In Canada, we focus on Education and Financial Literacy, Creating Opportunities for Young People, and the Environment. For more information, visit www.td.com/corporateresponsibility.

About The Canadian Children's Book Centre
The Canadian Children's Book Centre is a national, not-for-profit organization and registered charity founded in 1976 to promote, support and encourage the reading, writing and illustrating of Canadian books for children and teens. With book collections, programs and services and extensive resources in five cities across Canada, the CCBC is a treasure-trove for anyone interested in Canadian books for young readers. For more information, please visit www.bookcentre.ca.

SOURCE TD Bank Group