McDonald’s India, on Wednesday, announced that instead of toys, kids will receive books with their Happy Meals. The change will happen for a two-month period, beginning on August 1. McDonalds feels that the giving out of books in the Happy Meal works 'well with the choices and experiences that are in step with the changing consumer lifestyles, while championing children’s happiness and well-being.'

McDonalds released a statement, "Customer focus is at the core of all that we do. We realise that lifestyles are constantly changing around us and Happy Meal is yet another way in which McDonald's is providing choices, keeping in step with its consumer needs. Toys have long been a part of the Happy Meal experience, and continue to be. We are constantly looking for opportunities to bring families and children with offers that add more value and are exciting, fun and educational too."

Ranjit Paliath, Vice President–Business Operations, McDonald’s India (West and South) added to that, "The introduction of books along with our popular Happy Meals is part of a global strategy, undertaken with the aim of delivering more value, fun and relevance for families. We realise that lifestyles are constantly changing around us and the Happy Meal books are yet another way in which McDonald's is providing choices, keeping in step with our customer’s evolving needs. It is interesting to note that while in the UK the average number of books owned by a child under 6 years is 6 books, in India the figure is only 3 books for every 100 children! We aim to distribute about 1 million books during the programme with the goal of helping support parents efforts to inculcate the habit of reading among kids from a young age."

"As a leading family destination," he went on to say, "we’re happy to offer Happy Meal books, our goal is to support parents and inculcate the habit of reading among kids at an early stage. Globally, McDonald’s vision is to champion happier and healthier generations of children. This global book strategy represents a system wide 'iconic' move for us."

There will be 16 different books that will be offered to Happy Meal customers, the stories of which will include themes like the human body, space, history, baby animals and scientific facts.

McDonald’s India has partnered with DK and Scholastic Publishers, both award winning global publishers, to offer educational and entertaining content for customers. The books include: