Barnes & Noble the Bookstore Partner for Reading Rainbow's "Young Writers & Illustrators Contest" for Children From Kindergarten to Third Grade.

Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 18, 2000

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the nation's largest bookseller, will be the bookstore partner for READING RAINBOW's "Seventh Annual Young Writers & Illustrators Contest." The contest is conducted in cooperation with local PBS stations across the country and encourages children from kindergarten to third grade to write and illustrate their own stories. Applications for the contest will be available at Barnes & Noble stores and at PBS stations nationwide starting this month.

"Barnes & Noble shares READING RAINBOW's commitment to literacy and making reading fun for children," said Alan Kahn, chief operating officer of Barnes & Noble, Inc. "Over the last ten years, our Discover Great New Writers program has helped build the careers of many new authors. As a partner in this unique contest, we're delighted to help foster the literary and visual imagination of children and possible future authors."

"The Young Writers & Illustrators Contest' invites READING RAINBOW fans to create their own colorful stories while continuing to cultivate their excitement for reading," said Dr. Twila C. Liggett, executive producer of the series.

Contest entries will be judged on the local level by a panel created by the local PBS station, and the winners will advance to the national competition. Each child that enters the contest receives a special Certificate of Achievement signed by READING RAINBOW's host LeVar Burton. Prizes for the national first and second place winners include a computer and printer, VCR, and a READING RAINBOW library set, featuring ten videos and book titles. A similar READING RAINBOW set is awarded to each winner's local school and public library.

In August 1999, Barnes & Noble, Inc. and Barnes & Noble.com (Nasdaq: BNBN) (www.bn.com) announced an agreement to underwrite the signature series and to establish a READING RAINBOW presence in its stores nationwide and on its Internet site.

Now entering its 18th season, READING RAINBOW has received enthusiastic international acclaim and garnered more than 150 awards, including 13 Emmys (five for "Outstanding Children's Series"), a prestigious Peabody, seven CINE Golden Eagles, and four Parent's Choice Awards. The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) has twice honored LeVar Burton for his role on READING RAINBOW with their Image Award. The series is the #1-most-used program in classrooms nationwide, according to the 1997 Corporation for Public Broadcasting's Study of School Uses of Television and Video.

About Barnes & Noble, Inc.

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS) operates 559 Barnes & Noble and 378 B. Dalton bookstores, and, with its acquisition of Babbage's Etc. and Funco, Inc., is the nation's largest operator of video game and entertainment software stores. Barnes & Noble stores stock an authoritative selection of book titles and provide access to more than one million titles. They offer books from more than 50,000 publisher imprints with an emphasis on small, independent publishers and university presses. Barnes & Noble is one of the world's largest booksellers on the World Wide Web (http://www.bn.com), and the exclusive bookseller on America Online (Keyword: bn). Barnes & Noble.com has the largest standing inventory of any online bookseller. Barnes & Noble also publishes books under its own imprint for exclusive sale through its retail stores and Web site.

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

READING RAINBOW is a production of GPN/Nebraska ETV Network and WNED-TV Buffalo, and is produced by Lancit Media Entertainment, Ltd. READING RAINBOW is made possible by a generous grant from Barnes & Noble Bookstores and barnesandnoble.com. Funding is also provided by The National Science Foundation, The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, and public television viewers. READING RAINBOW is a registered trademark of GPN/WNED-TV.

For additional information about READING RAINBOW's Young Writers and Illustrators Contest, contact your local PBS station or check the Reading Rainbow Web site http://readingrainbow.net for details.