My oldest granddaughter, who is nine, told me one day that she was bored and missed traveling with her family since she had started back to regular school after two years of homeschooling. I explained to her that by reading books, she will be able to go anywhere she wants to. She was intrigued by this and has become an avid reader over the past year. I was about the same age as she is now when I realized the power of reading. From learning new things and different ways of thinking to traveling to places I may never get to physically visit in my lifetime, reading has always been a great escape for me and for so many others.
Today is National Drop Everything and Read (DEAR) Day. It is celebrated each year on April 12th, which happens to be the birthday of world-famous author Beverly Cleary. She is the author of an array of different family and kid-friendly books, such as “Ramona Quimby, Age 8,” the book that inspired the idea for DEAR Day. The book’s main character has a teacher who would stop everything for a period of time each school day to read to her students. This particular practice was known as, “Drop Everything and Read,” which is now used by many schools throughout the United States as a way to encourage and inspire students to read.
The first National DEAR Day was celebrated in 1997, and it has continued to grow in popularity. People of all ages are encouraged to set aside 30 minutes to an hour to read a book of their choice on this day, but it is a practice many continue to strive for on a daily basis throughout the year. Many families set aside time to read with their children each day to make reading a fun and exciting activity that can be shared with others.
Reading is a very important activity that not only increases knowledge, but it helps children and adults to expand their vocabulary and even improve their cognitive function. Reading a good book is also a great way to reduce stress, improve empathy, and even foster a sense of community. The great thing about reading is that you can pretty much do it any time of the day or night, no matter where you are.
For many years of my career as a reporter, I was asked to cover Right to Read Week at Bucyrus Elementary. It was always fun to cover the different events that the staff came up with to encourage students to read and I was even honored to be a guest reader for several of the classes on many different occasions. This special week is normally held in March but is a lead-in, of sorts, to DEAR Day as well as International Children’s Book Day, which is normally held on April 2, the birthday of Hans Christian Andersen. He is known for his amazing literary fairy tales for children, including “The Little Mermaid” and “The Ugly Duckling.”
National DEAR Day is a wonderful opportunity for people to set aside time for themselves to enjoy reading. It is a great chance for children and adults to discover new books, authors, and genres, or to even revisit old favorites.
So, if you are feeling like Dariana and want to travel to a new world today, I hope you can carve out a little bit of time to read that book you have been wanting to for a while or to grab a new one.
Enjoy and Happy Reading!
