International Book Giving Day, February 14, is a day dedicated to getting new, used, and borrowed books into
the hands of as many children as possible.
Share the love of books and the
generosity of giving . . . all on a day synonymous with love.
International Book Giving Day
was built and created by Amy Broadmoore, founder of the American children’s
book website, Delightful Children’s Books, in 2012. Inspired by her son’s
desire to "invent a holiday when people gave
books to each other," the determination to link that with Valentine’s Day was
born just 10 days before the day itself!
Within a short space of time
Amy’s initiative has continued to grow, sparking enthusiastic responses from
across the globe. "I used the connections I
had as a children's book blogger to invite people from around the world to
celebrate International Book Giving Day."
Amy continues: "People not only give books to kids in their communities,
they also share stories and photos via Twitter, Facebook, and International Book
Giving Day's website. Connecting with others who are giving books to kids is
part of what makes this an inspiring holiday."
The support of
well-known authors and bloggers has been instrumental in International Book
Giving Day's success.
2014 sees an
increased presence of Emma Perry of My Book Corner - UK, as Amy creates a little more room to squeeze in even more
bookish projects.
Perry says: "The enthusiasm from all who hear about International Book Giving Day is
infectious. The reaction I’m getting already really is wonderful - illustrators
are donating their time, children are donating books to other children, and
independent bookstores are in love with the philosophy behind the day."
International
Book Giving Day has received great support from well known children’s
authors from around the world: Mem Fox, Clara
Vulliamy, Dub Leffler, Katrina Germein, Chris Haughton, Sindiwe
Magona, Ed Emberley, Dianne Wolfer, Kathryn Apel, Ed Vere, Claire Wildish,
Peter H. Reynolds, Sandy Fussell, Priya Kuriyan, Janeen Brian, Barney
Saltzberg, Hazel Edwards, and Frane Lessac have all given books to children on
February 14 and have encouraged others to do the same.
The beauty of International
Book Giving Day is its simplicity. Participants do not need to organize a huge
event to take part.
They are invited to celebrate
by:
1.
Giving a book to a friend or relative.
Gift
a book to a child who would enjoy receiving a book on February 14. A perfect
alternative to overpriced chocolate . . . although chocolates still
make a good present!
2.
Leaving a book somewhere.
Choose a waiting room where kids
are stuck. Purchase a good book and deposit
your book covertly or overtly in your waiting room of choice. Try leaving books in playgrounds. The
goal here is to spread the love of reading to kids!
3.
Donating a book.
Donate books to a school library, children’s hospital, or
nonprofit organization working to ensure that all kids have access to books.
Participants are encouraged to
let us know they are participating at http://bookgivingday.com.
Photos of Book Giving Day
festivities are shared each year on social media, by adding the hashtag
#giveabook to Instagram / Twitter / Facebook photos or by emailing photos to amy.broadmoore@gmail.com.
Let’s see how many people we can get to commit to giving a book to
a child on February 14!
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