500 Barnes & Noble Stores Nationwide and Autism Speaks to Host Storytime Events Celebrating Autism Awareness Month

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest bookseller, announced today that 500 Barnes & Noble stores across the country will partner with Autism Speaks to host special Storytimes in April as part of Autism Awareness Month. The Storytime events will kick off on Wednesday, April 2, with a special “Let’s Be Friends: An Autism Awareness Storytime Event” at the Lincoln Triangle Barnes & Noble store in New York City (1972 Broadway at 66^th Street).

“Let’s Be Friends: An Autism Awareness Storytime Event”

On April 2, Barnes & Noble stores across the country will host celebrity Storytimes in cities including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Dallas. Celebrities will read books that encourage compassion and respect for individuals with autism and other disabilities. Some 500 Barnes & Noble stores will continue the reading program during Autism Awareness Month.

“Autism affects one in 150 children in this country and yet remains a mystery for far too many people,” said Steve Riggio, chief executive officer of Barnes & Noble, Inc. “Our special Storytime events, in partnership with Autism Speaks, are a unique way in which we can help spread knowledge and promote understanding of this disorder, which affects so many children each year.”

“We could not ask for a better partner than Barnes & Noble in our effort to increase awareness about autism throughout Autism Awareness Month,” said Suzanne Wright, co-founder of Autism Speaks. “These in-store events will do a great deal to foster a sense of tolerance and understanding, something families affected by autism desperately need as they face the many day-to-day challenges posed by this disorder.”

Barnes & Noble’s national program, in partnership with Autism Speaks, is designed to raise awareness about autism and foster understanding of the disorder through in-store readings, activities and discussions. Autism is a complex brain disorder that inhibits a person’s ability to communicate and develop social relationships, and is often accompanied by extreme behavioral challenges. Autism Speaks is dedicated to increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders, and to funding research into the causes, prevention, and treatments for autism. All stores will feature books and information about autism.

Barnes & Noble.com (www.bn.com) will feature an autism awareness webpage. The page, www.bn.com/autism, includes information on local store locations for this special Storytime Event; an online preview of Since We’re Friends: An Autism Picture Book; a suggested reading list of autism-related books and other autism-related information.

About Barnes & Noble, Inc.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world’s largest bookseller and a Fortune 500 company, operates 798 bookstores in 50 states. For the fourth year in a row, the company is the nation’s top bookseller brand, as determined by a brand’s overall strength based on its combination of familiarity, quality and purchase intent, according to the EquiTrend® Brand Study by Harris Interactive®. Barnes & Noble conducts its online business through Barnes & Noble.com (www.bn.com), one of the Web’s largest e-commerce sites.

General information on Barnes & Noble, Inc. can be obtained via the Internet by visiting the company’s corporate website: http://www.barnesandnobleinc.com.

About Autism Speaks

Autism Speaks is dedicated to increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders, to funding research into the causes, prevention and treatments for autism, and to advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. It was founded in February 2005 by Suzanne and Bob Wright, the grandparents of a child with autism. Bob Wright is Vice Chairman, General Electric, and served as chief executive officer of NBC for more than twenty years. To learn more about Autism Speaks, please visit www.autismspeaks.org.