Concerned by a report that a number of seven-year-olds in their school were at risk for literacy difficulties, a team of teachers devised a low-budget program to promote reading at school and at home. After researching reading motivation, two of the authors conceived a catch phrase, a mascot, and gimmicks, including all-school activities, to attract teachers, families, and children. This article details the work and the projects in this responsive approach that led to improved reading assessments in seven- and eight-year olds at this school. ["Australian Children Catch the Bug: Motivating Young Children to Engage in Reading" was written with Jan Burton and Jayne Barnett.]