If the thought of February 14th doesn’t necessarily fill you with a warm glow of pleasure and anticipation, fear not. You are definitely not alone and there’s something else to focus your mind on that day instead-International Book Giving Day. What a great idea it is too. Spread the love and joy of books to children around the world by giving away a book. It doesn’t have to be new, it can be used too, and it’s so easy to do.
International Book Giving Day is all about spreading the love and joy of books to as many children as possible throughout the world. Specifically, it’s about sharing books with those children who find it most difficult to access them. But it’s also just a fabulous way of sharing the magic and wonder to each every child.
There are several ways in which you can get involved;
1.Give a new or used book to a young person you know, whether they’re a friend, relative or neighbour.
2.Leave a good book in a waiting room or reception-somewhere that children have to spend time waiting round, like a doctor’s or dentist’s surgery for example. The idea of the day is to inspire young minds, so be inventive with your choices!
3.Donate some of those books your own children have grown out of and give them to a local library, hospital, or your local thrift shop.
Maybe you can come up with your own idea of how to celebrate the day-the more unique the better. Perhaps new authors might consider some welcome opportunities to share their books with children for free by donating them to a local school or children’s organisation?
If you love reading and love books, share the joy on February 14th in any way you can. By the way, if you’re a budding or experienced children’s illustrator, why not check out the opportunities open to you to create book templates which can be stuck inside a donated book.
Iona Burchell is a freelance writer. Find her at her blog or tweet me @Redpeffer.
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