The Magician Who
Started a Movement
It all started with a grandmother, an eight-year-old boy, and a ventriloquist puppet. A few decades later, that boy grew up to become a children's author, a marketing expert, and the founder of a foundation on a mission to inspire one million kids.
To Inspire Creativity, Confidence,
Literacy, and Leadership in Children
Through books, performance arts, and music — delivered in a way kids actually enjoy, remember, and talk about for weeks.
Most literacy programs are well-intentioned but forgettable. We built something different — an experience that combines entertainment and education in a way that makes reading feel less like homework and more like the greatest adventure imaginable.
He's Been Talking to Puppets
Since Age Eight
When Jimmy Vee's grandmother handed him his first ventriloquist puppet at eight years old, she didn't know she was launching a career. She just thought it was funny. She wasn't wrong.
That puppet led to birthday parties, then libraries, then corporate events, then comedy clubs. And somewhere along the way, it led to books. Jimmy started writing children's books with one simple goal: make kids fall in love with reading for life.
His books are built to be performed — laugh-out-loud stories full of humor, playful alliteration, and just the right amount of weirdness. The kind you read once and then read again before bed.
Known around the world as the "Five-Foot-High Marketing Guy," Jimmy has spent his career proving that the best way to get someone's attention — whether you're selling a product or selling a love of reading — is to make them feel something first. The Read, Laugh, Learn Foundation is the full expression of that belief.
"My goal is simple: make kids fall in love with books for life." — Jimmy Vee, Executive Director & Founder
Jimmy Vee — Executive Director
Children's Author
Multiple published picture books, written to be read out loud and laughed at.
Magician & Ventriloquist
A professional performer since childhood — the program is built on real stagecraft.
Founder, Florida Ventriloquist Association
A builder of communities in the performance arts, not just a performer in them.
Co-Author, Gravitational Marketing
A bestselling business book — the marketing discipline behind how this movement scales.
Former Executive Director, Vent Haven ConVENTion
Led the world's longest-running ventriloquist convention.
He Is the Program
The magic, the puppets, the storytelling, the author presence — all one person, on one stage.
What We Believe
Reading Should Be Joyful
Not a chore. Not a test. Not a benchmark. A joy. The moment a child experiences a book that makes them laugh, think, or feel something real — that's the moment they become a reader.
Entertainment is Education
The best learning happens when people are having fun. Every element of our program is designed to entertain first — because a laughing child is a learning child.
Every Child Has the Spark
Creativity isn't a talent some kids have and others don't. It's a skill. It's a muscle. And our program is the gym that helps every child strengthen it.
Books Change Lives
Not metaphorically. Literally. A book in the right hands at the right moment can redirect a life. We're in the business of creating those moments at scale.
Community Makes It Possible
This foundation exists because people believe in the power of children. Every sponsor, partner, and donor is a co-creator of this movement.
Big Goals Inspire Big Action
One million kids sounds impossible. That's exactly why we chose it. Small goals inspire small effort. We want the goal to be worthy of the children we're serving.
Years of Bringing Stories to Life
Want to Partner with Jimmy
and the Foundation?
Whether you want to sponsor a program, bring the Adventure to your school, or just learn more about the movement — Jimmy would love to hear from you.