Read Aloud Day 2025: Read Aloud Hours And 4,500 Book Gifts
More than 100 Bertelsmann employees read to nearly 2,500 children in daycare centers and primary schools on Friday.
Bertelsmann once again took part in this year’s nationwide Read Aloud Day under the motto “Reading aloud speaks your language”. The annual campaign day, in which Bertelsmann participated for the 21st time, is Germany’s largest reading festival and organized by “Die Zeit”, Stiftung Lesen, and Deutsche Bahn Stiftung. In Gütersloh alone, more than 100 Bertelsmann employees read aloud in 35 daycare centers and 12 primary school, giving nearly 2,500 children an extraordinary morning filled with exciting stories.
Immanuel Hermreck, Bertelsmann Chief Human Resources Officer, opened Read Aloud Day in Gütersloh with an hour reading aloud at the children’s daycare center Villa Kunterbunt. He read from the Spiegel bestseller “Der kleine Drache Kokosnuss in der Tiefsee” by Ingo Siegner and sat in a cozy corner with twelve children on yellow cushions in a circle on the floor. The daycare center was decorated for fall: hand-painted leaves on green cardboard adorned the walls, and fairy lights bathed the room in a warm, inviting glow. The children were fascinated and listened to the adventures of the little dragon – so much that they immediately wanted to know how the story continued. Enthused by the story, Hermreck spontaneously decided to read another chapter to them.
Simone Fratczak of Bertelsmann’s Corporate Communications also read aloud at Villa Kunterbunt to children under the age of three from “Weck die Bauernhoftiere” by Nico Sternbaum. She encouraged the toddlers to join in the story about waking up the farm animals: cheerful animal sounds and children’s laughter could be heard from the group room as the result of a lively reading session that delighted the young listeners.
Nearly 4,000 daycare children received a book
As in previous years, Read Aloud Day did not end after the read aloud sessions. In Gütersloh, every preschool child received their own book to take home – in total, nearly 4,000 books. In addition, Bertelsmann provided book packages with ten titles each for the libraries in the individual institutions. A total of 58 daycare centers and 20 primary schools in Gütersloh received new books. Bertelsmann’s book donation comprises a total of nearly 4,500 books worth almost €60,000.
