Across Georgia this week, thousands of four-year-olds are getting their hands on a brand-new book as part of the state's annual Pre-K Week. It's an effort to give kids a head start before kindergarten with help from some hometown superstars.

Every great story starts with a page.

Grammy-winning musician Coy Bowles of the Zac Brown Band and Super Bowl champion Malcolm Mitchell — both Georgia dads — are helping nearly 90,000 Pre-K students open a new chapter in their learning journey.

"It's a little bit of a story within a story," Bowles said. "I still really believe in the power of human connection via story. So kids learning the constructs of that and how stories work at a young age, to me, that's a really cool thing."

Inside their new book, "Every Amazing Story: A Writing Adventure with Coy and Malcolm," the two authors are transformed into characters who guide young readers through the ups and downs of creativity.

"I grew up in an under-resourced community, and I know there are many students in those environments who don't have access to age-appropriate books," Mitchell said. "If we want them to build the foundational skills to be literate and productive members of society, we have to get them a book."

The book is the centerpiece of Georgia's 15th annual Pre-K Week, part of a state program that has helped an estimated two million children since 1992. State research shows that kids enrolled in Pre-K programs perform better in language, literacy, and executive functions by fourth grade than those who did not attend.

Yolanda Santini-Diaz with Georgia State University's Childhood Development Program says books like this one help empower kids.

"Books like this empower children and strengthen their social-emotional development," Santini-Diaz said. "They show that every child is capable of brainstorming, putting thoughts together, and sharing their story to be an author, to be a writer."

Still, the work continues. The latest state data from 2024 shows more than 60% of fourth graders across Georgia are not reading at a proficient level.

"We both chose to be a significant part of the solution," Bowles said. "That's through literacy, advocating for education, and being advocates for teachers as well."

From the recording studio to the football field and now into Georgia classrooms, Bowles and Mitchell are proving that every child has a story worth telling.

"I think 'Every Amazing Story' is an opportunity to equip kids with relevant, age-appropriate content," Mitchell said. "It helps them build not just the skill of reading, but writing as well."

And this week, for Georgia's youngest learners, that adventure begins.