Publisher Permission for Read Alouds

These publishers have given special permission during COVID-19, but please check the individual publisher guidelines. There are resources for some of the publishers listed as well.

Penguin Random House

For Teachers and Educators providing distance learning to students in a virtual classroom setting:

• Story time or classroom read-aloud videos in which a Penguin Random House book is read aloud and the book is displayed (for picture books) may be created and posted to closed educational platforms such as Google Classroom, Schoology, Edmodo and Discovery Education, in order to replicate the read-aloud book experience that would otherwise be available to educators in the classroom.
• If a Teacher or Educator plans to share a story time video by recording a video, uploading it to a YouTube channel, and posting a link to that YouTube video inside a closed educational platform, that YouTube video must be designated as “Unlisted” (not “Public”) when uploading. See screenshot for how to choose “Unlisted” while uploading on YouTube.
• These story time and classroom read-aloud videos may be hosted on the educational platform and/or YouTube (as an “Unlisted” file) until the end of the current school year, after which we request that they be removed from the educational platform and/or from YouTube, unless this permission is extended for the next school semester.

For Booksellers and Librarians who wish to provide a story time reading or other read-aloud experience to young people who would otherwise visit the library or bookstore in person:

• Story time or read-aloud live events in which a Penguin Random House book is read out loud and the book is displayed (for picture books) may be streamed live, in real time, on social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook Live, Twitter, and Instagram.
• These story time or read-aloud live events may not be maintained in the archive of the social media platform and appropriate measures should be taken to ensure that videos of the live events are not retained. Because these platforms automatically archive live events by default, when your event has concluded, please locate the recorded live video in your account (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) and delete it. See screenshot for how to delete a live video from YouTube after it has concluded.

Reporting requirements – We ask that all educators, librarians and booksellers please notify us via email (addressed to [email protected]) when you post or stream a story time or read-aloud video or live event, providing the following information:

• Name and address of the library, school, or store
• Title, author and ISBN of the book that is read
• Contact information for the individual responsible for the reading
• The educational or social media platform on which the video or live event is posted or held and a link to that video or live event

***You can complete this form to get permission: https://tinyurl.com/PRHStoryTimeForm

https://www.readtogetherbetogether.com/  

https://www.rhteacherslibrarians.com/  

https://www.readbrightly.com/educational-resources-activities/ 

HarperCollins

If you are an educator or librarian who would like to read a HarperCollins Children’s book online:

We are granting permission to educators and librarians to read HarperCollins Children’s Books titles online, on video, through the end of the school year. These virtual readings may be streamed live via digital platforms, or if recorded, posted to closed educational platforms. If a closed platform is unavailable, recorded videos of readings may be uploaded to YouTube as long as they are marked “Unlisted”. We ask that any educators or librarians performing or posting readings please do the following, as conditions of this grant of permission:

1. At the beginning of the reading, state it is “with permission of HarperCollins Children’s Books”.
2. Send their name, school or library, city and state, and the title and author/illustrator of the book they intend to read online to [email protected].
3. Delete uploaded or archived videos or, in the event the applicable platform does not permit deletion, disable access to uploaded videos, by the end of the local school year.

This permission grant is to best serve the community of readers out there who need us right now.

https://www.harpercollins.com/childrens/harper-at-home/ 

Little, Brown for Young Readers (LBYR)  

We ask that if you read an LBYR book online to your students that you follow a few short guidelines:

• Please note at the onset of the video that you are reading with permission from Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
• Please only post your video through your school’s private platform or through another closed group or platform with limited access for only your students.
• Please delete your video or disable access within 30 days.
• Please send your name, school, city, and state, as well as the title and author/illustrator of the book(s)you intend to read online to [email protected] .
• By posting a reading, you are agreeing to abide by the above terms.

Please tag our social media handles in any posts affiliated with your readings—we’d love to see them!

• Twitter: @lbschool
• Facebook: @littlebrownschool
• Instagram: @littlebrownyoungreader

Simon & Schuster

In addition, we will permit you to livestream and post readings of Simon & Schuster books online for your students and customers, subject to the following. By posting a reading, you are agreeing to these terms:

1. At the beginning of your video, please state that you are reading the book “with permission from Simon & Schuster.”
2. We ask that you post your reading within the confines of your school, library, or store's platform or another closed group with limited access for your students and customers. However, for Ready-to-Reads, picture books, and any other younger formats, if this is not possible, you may post it through a public platform, such as YouTube.
3. For these younger formats, it is fine to read the entire book. For chapter books and novels, the readings should be limited to a few chapters.
4. Since this is a way to deal with the current extraordinary situation, your video should be deleted or access disabled by no later than June 30, 2020.
5. If you are an educator or librarian, email us at [email protected] with your name, school, city, and state, and the title and author/illustrator of the book you intend to read online and the date. If you are a bookseller, email us at [email protected] with your name, store, location, and the title and author/illustrator of the book you intend to read online and the date.
6. Finally, we would love to follow along with your read-aloud, so educators and librarians, please tag Simon & Schuster Education & Library’s social media in your posts!

Twitter: @SSEdLib

Instagram: @SSEdLib

Facebook: @SSEdLib

And booksellers, please tag Simon & Schuster’s social media in your posts!

Twitter: @SimonKids

Instagram: @SimonKids

Facebook: @SimonKids

http://simonandschusterpublishing.com/thebookpantry/index.html 

Macmillan

During this emergency and when their schools are closed, we have no objection to (1) teachers and librarians live streaming or posting videos reading our children’s books to their students, provided it is done on a noncommercial basis, and (2) authors live streaming or posting videos reading their children’s books, provided it is done on a noncommercial basis.

Reporting

We ask that all educators, librarians and booksellers please notify us via email (addressed to [email protected] ) when you post or stream a story time or read-aloud video or live event, providing the following information:

• Name and address of the library, school, or store
• Title, author and ISBN of the book that is read
• Contact information for the individual responsible for the reading
• The educational or social media platform on which the video or live event is posted or held and a link to that video or live event

https://static.macmillan.com/static/macmillan/2020-online-resources/ 

https://www.mackidsschoolandlibrary.com/category/resources/ 

Scholastic

We have been moved by the numerous requests we’ve received from teachers across the country who are trying to address these needs by posting readings of books online for students to access. We want to support you in your efforts and ask that if you choose to read your book online to your students you follow these guidelines:

1. At the beginning of your video, please state that you are presenting your reading “with permission from Scholastic.”
2. Our preference is that you post your reading through your school's platform or another closed group or platform with limited access for your students. However, we recognize this may not be possible, in which case you may post it through a more publicly accessible platform, such as YouTube.
3. Since we view this as a way to compensate for the closure of schools, please delete your video or disable access by the end of this current school year, no later than June 30, 2020.
4. Please reply to [email protected] with your name, school, city and state, and the title and author/illustrator of the book you intend to read online. By posting a reading, you are agreeing to abide by the above terms.
5. Finally, we would love to follow along with your read-aloud, so please tag Scholastic's social media handles in any posts affiliated with it!

Twitter: @Scholastic Instagram: @ScholasticInc Facebook: @Scholastic YouTube: @Scholastic

http://www.scholastic.ca/readaloud/  

https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html/ 

https://kids.scholastic.com/kids/books/dav-pilkey-at-home/ 

Disney Worldwide Publishing (applies to Disney Press titles only) 

The below permission license from DPW is limited to our Disney Press imprint. Mo Willems has granted permission here and Ryan T. Higgins has granted permission here. The copyright for most of our Hyperion titles live with each author, so please check their website and/or social media posts. If you are still not sure about a title, please contact us at the email below.

With the increase in school closures, and many schools transitioning to remote learning, Disney Publishing Worldwide has received numerous requests from teachers across the country asking for permission to post readings of books online for their students to access. We support the efforts of educators and librarians who wish to provide remote learning at this time. Our permission is limited to Disney Press titles. If you are not sure which category a book falls into, please reach out to us at the following address: [email protected].

We ask that if you read a Disney Press book online for your students that you follow a few short guidelines:

• Please note at the beginning of the video that you are reading with permission from Disney Publishing Worldwide, and please note the title of the book.
• Please only post your video through your school’s private platform or through another closed group or platform with limited access for your students only.
• Please delete your video or disable access by June 30, 2020.
• Please send an email to [email protected] with your name, school, city, state, and the title and of the book(s) you read online with a link to your video.
• By posting a reading, you are agreeing to abide by the above guidelines.
• These terms are in effect until June 30, 2020.

Please note that other organizations interested in posting videos of your Disney Press title reading will need to contact [email protected] who will evaluate their request.

Holiday House

We are thrilled for you to share our books with young readers, but we do need your help to protect our creators’ copyrights. We can permit the creation of virtual read-alouds at no charge within a closed platform for non-commercial use only, and as long as the video is removed after a limited time (30 days), and you acknowledge the author/artist and Holiday House. We cannot grant permission for these videos to be posted publicly to YouTube at this time.

Holiday House Terms:

1. At the beginning of your video, please state that you are reading “with permission from Holiday House Publishing.”
2. Post your reading within a closed platform or group for your members only, not for commercial use.
3. Please delete your video within thirty (30) days from date of posting.
4. Send an email to [email protected] with your name, school or library, city and state, the title and author/illustrator of the book you will read online, and what platform you plan to host the reading on.

By posting a reading, you are agreeing to abide by the above terms. 

We would also love to follow along with your read-aloud, so please tag us @HolidayHouseBks on social media in any posts affiliated with it!

https://holidayhouse.com/holiday-house-resources/  

https://holidayhouse.com/downloadable-materials/

https://holidayhouse.com/author-resources/

Peachtree

We would be happy to allow you to read our titles to your library members, but we do need your help to protect our creators’ copyrights. We ask you to follow these guidelines:

• At the beginning of your video, please state that you are reading the title “with permission from Peachtree Publishing Company, Inc.”
• Please post your reading within a closed platform or group for your members only.
• Please delete your video by the end of this current school year, no later than June 30, 2020.
• Please reply to [email protected] with your name, school, city and state, and the title and author/illustrator of the book you will read online.
• By posting a reading, you are agreeing to abide by the above terms.
• We would also love to follow along with your read-aloud, so please tag us on social media in any posts affiliated with it!

https://peachtree-online.com/resources/teachers-guides-event-kits/

Crabtree Publishers

Teachers, librarians, home-educators and parents may use any Crabtree Publishing title in a read-along for non-commercial use until June 30, 2020 as follows:

• At the beginning of the recording/live video, please indicate that you are reading with permission from Crabtree Publishing and reference the author.

• Video live streams may include displaying the book as part of the reading.

• Teachers, librarians, parents, caregivers, and clergy are granted permission to read any Crabtree Publishing title to their patrons, students, and children through virtual means(public or private platforms). Refer to conditions of recorded use below.

• Recordings of video or live-stream read-alouds through public or private platforms (ie Facebook Live, Instagram, Zoom, Youtube Live and other such means) are allowed under the condition the recordings of these events are removed from your archives by June 30, 2020.

• Please email

[email protected] to notify us when you post a stream or recording using Crabtree Publishing books and include the following information:

- Name and address of library, school, institution, individual

- Title and author of book that is read

- Link or social media platform on which the video or live event is posted

• We would love to see our books featured in your read-alongs so kindly tag Crabtree Publishing when referencing these recordings on social media!

Twitter: @CrabtreePub

Facebook: @CrabtreePublishing

Instagram: @CrabtreePublishing

By participating in a read-along recording using Crabtree Publishing books, you agree to the above terms, which are in effect until June 30, 2020. Should you have additional questions, please [email protected] 

Lerner

To that end, we are granting a temporary license to educators and librarians who would like to use our books to support their students and patrons via distance learning and remote access with the following stipulations:

· A one-time, non-dramatic reading of the book, for educational and non-commercial purposes only

· The reading shall not be publicly shared/broadcast on Youtube/Facebook or other social media platforms, unless posted “Unlisted” (not “Public”), and shall not be used as a means to generate income via advertising or any other fee

· The reading shall be removed from all formats, including live videos that have been archived, by June 30, 2020

· Please begin the video or recording with a statement that you are reading with permission of Lerner Publishing Group

· The following imprints are covered by this agreement: Carolrhoda Books, Carolrhoda Lab, Darby Creek, ediciones Lerner, First Avenue Editions, Graphic Universe, Kar-Ben Publishing, Lerner Classroom, Lerner Digital, Lerner Publications, Millbrook Press, Twenty-First Century Books, Zest Books. Imprints or publishers listed in our catalog but not listed above are NOT COVERED by this license and permission must be sought directly.

· With all readings, you must include the following notice: Displayed with the permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. “Title” by Author, illustrated by Illustrator. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.

• Please fill out this form within 10 days to alert us of your use: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1z_bHMG-08gxzZC3eBgui9FwP66KAnQcxTlxviB464co/edit?usp=forms_home&ths=true

Please email [email protected] with any questions.

Abrams

We ask that you follow these guidelines when doing so:

• Please note at the beginning of the video that you are reading with permission of Abrams Children’s Books, and please note the title, author, and illustrator of the book.
• Please only post your video through your school’s private platform or through another group or platform with limited access for your students only.
• Please delete your video or disable access by June 30, 2020.
• Please send an email to [email protected] with your name, school, city, state, the title and author/illustrator of the book(s) you would like to read online, as well as a follow-up email with a link to your video once you’ve read it.
• By posting a reading, you are agreeing to abide by the above guidelines.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (HMH)

Our titles include books published under the following imprints: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Mariner, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers, Versify and Clarion Books.

As educators and librarians, you may use any HMH title in the following ways until June 30, 2020:

• Perform a video or audio live-stream read-aloud of any HMH title including through public or private platforms such as offered by Facebook, Zoom, or the like. Video livestreams may include displaying the picture book as part of the reading.
• Post a video or audio recording of a teacher or librarian reading any HMH title through a private platform. Videos may include a video capture of the picture book as it is being read.
• If you or your students and patrons do not have ready access to a livestream or private platform, then you may use a public platform like YouTube. Please take the additional step to make the settings non-public (e.g., “private” or “unlisted” so you can share the link with your intended audience).

We would like to hear from you about what titles you have chosen to read using this permission. Please email [email protected] to tell us which titles and the authors/illustrators. To be clear, if you follow these guidelines, you don’t need to ask for separate written permission from HMH. But if you have questions, you can also direct questions to that email address.

We do ask that after this limited permission expires on June 30, 2020, you delete or disable access to all videos or recordings of HMH titles, including those posted to any public or private platforms.

J.K. Rowling & Harry Potter Books

Teachers anywhere in the world are permitted to post videos of themselves reading from Harry Potter books 1-7 onto schools’ secure networks or closed educational platforms from today until the end of the school year (or the end of July in southern hemisphere). A full set of Guidelines for Teachers are downloadable here.Teachers anywhere in the world are permitted to post videos of themselves reading from Harry Potter books 1-7 onto schools’ secure networks or closed educational platforms from today until the end of the school year (or the end of July in southern hemisphere). A full set of Guidelines for Teachers are downloadable here (use link above).

 If you are a teacher and would like to share the magic of Harry Potter in this way, please follow the guidelines below: 

• • Virtual Story time or classroom read-aloud videos in which one of the Harry Potter 1-7 books is read aloud and the book cover is displayed, may be created and posted to schools’ secure networks or closed educational platforms such as Google Classroom, Schoology, Edmodo and Discovery Education, in order to replicate the read-aloud book experience that would otherwise be available to educators in the classroom. 
• • These story time and classroom read-aloud videos may be hosted on the educational platform and/or school secure network until the end of the current (2019/20) school year in your territory or until 31 July 2020 (whichever is earlier), after which they should be permanently deleted from the educational platform and/or secure network. 
• • The videos featuring the readings (or clips from these) should not be posted on YouTube or any social platform or used for any commercial purpose. 
• • Please do not amend or abridge the text of any of the Harry Potter books when reading the stories in the video recordings, if possible. 
• • Please don’t share full videos on social but we encourage you to share links to the videos or video previews (no longer than 30 seconds) on your social channels to raise awareness.

Reporting requirements 

We ask that you please notify The Blair Partnership via email (addressed to [email protected]) when you post a story time or read-aloud video, providing the following information: 

• • Name and location of the school 
• • Which Harry Potter book being read and approximate length of reading (e.g. one chapter, 25 pages, etc.) 
• • Name and email for the individual responsible for the reading 
• • The school network or educational platform on which the video or live event is posted or held

Please also send an email to [email protected] to confirm you have taken down and deleted the video(s) once the current school year has ended (or earlier if applicable) 

Lee & Low Books

For this reason, Lee & Low is granting permission to allow educators to do a virtual recording or videotaping of our titles for non-commercial purposes only. Here are our guidelines for reading Lee & Low titles online during this time:

• Please note at the beginning of your recording that you are reading with permission from Lee & Low Books.

• Recordings should only be posted/shared on closed platforms such as a private YouTube channel or password-protected school platform.

• Story time or read-aloud events featuring our books may be streamed live through platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube Live. However, please make sure recordings of these events do not remain in your archives for more than 24 hours after the event has concluded.

• Please tag @LEEandLOW when discussing any recordings featuring our books on social media

• Reporting: Please use this form (see link above) to notify us when you post a stream or recording using our books.

By posting a reading, you agree to the above terms which are in effect until June 30, 2020. For any additional questions, please email hehrlich[at]leeandlow.com

Candlewick

Chronicle Books

Bloomsbury

These permissions are granted only in respect of teachers and educators providing distance learning to students in a virtual classroom setting, and to authors, booksellers and librarians who wish to provide a live reading aloud experience to young people who would normally visit a library or bookshop in person.

Permission is granted only for free use of the readings, and you may not charge in respect of any of the activities mentioned below without formal agreement from Bloomsbury.

Bloomsbury grants the permissions set out below until the end of the current 2019/2020 school year.

In every case where a Bloomsbury book is read out-loud we request that the title of the book and the name of the author and/or illustrator are announced at the beginning of each read aloud video or live event. 

For Teachers and Educators – Story Time or Read Aloud Videos:

Story time or classroom read-aloud videos in which a Bloomsbury book is read aloud (and, in the case of picture books, displayed) may be created and posted solely to closed educational platforms or to another closed network or platform where access is restricted to pupils of the teacher or educator.

If a teacher or educator plans to share a story time video by recording a video, uploading it to a YouTube channel, and posting a link to that YouTube video inside a closed educational platform, that YouTube video must be designated as “Unlisted” (not “Public”) when uploading.  

These story time and classroom read-aloud videos may be hosted on the educational or other closed platform and/or or YouTube (as an “Unlisted” file – see above) until the end of the current school year, after which they must be deleted from the relevant platform unless this permission is extended by formal agreement with Bloomsbury.

REQUIRED NOTIFICATIONS: Bloomsbury requests that all educators, authors, librarians and booksellers notify us via email to [email protected] when you post or stream a story time or read-aloud video or live event and provide the following information:

Type of Institution: school, library or bookshop

Name and address of the school, library or bookshop

Title, author and ISBN of the book that is read

Contact information and title (e.g. Year 4 teacher, bookseller) for the individual responsible for the reading

The educational or social media platform on which the video or live event is posted or held 

A link to that video or live event

NOTES:

In any instance of use, please cite that the content is being shared with permission of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

These guidelines apply solely to works published by Bloomsbury Publishing.

Where possible, please include or mention a link for a retailer where the book can be purchased.

Do check social channels of the author/illustrator you are reading as they may have posted extra content that you can use.

If you have any questions relating to the above permissions, please email [email protected].

For Harry Potter titles please contact The BlairPartnership [email protected].

Submitted by 

Colleen Heidrich, [email protected] @MrsCHeidrich