This weekend (April 12th) marks the birthday of beloved children’s author Beverly Cleary. Her books have been delighting children for over 60 years—She first wrote about D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read) in her book, Ramona Quimby, Age 8. When Cleary received letters from children taking part in “Drop Everything and Read” activities it inspired her to give Ramona the same experience. “Drop Everything and Read” programs have taken off nationwide since then—some of them spanning the entire month of April. In the fall of 2002 Barnes & Noble did a fabulous interview with Ms. Cleary. You can read it here. (Her favorite books are a lot like mine!)
What a gift to the world! The program encourages a love of reading, sharing, and teaching. A couple of weeks ago I talked about 10 Reasons to Read (and I could have gone a lot further than ten…). It is so amazing what reading can do for us!
Take the day or the weekend — a week! — and celebrate with a book (or two or three). Get comfy, turn off the computer (and the phone!), and support worldwide literacy. Invite your friends and family! Have a read-in! Taking part will not only be fun, it will be a great example of the value reading holds.
The Fantasy Sci-Fi Network (a group I participate in) actively, happily supports the initiative. You can follow us on Facebook or Twitter where we’re using hashtags such as #DEAR and #literacy and #FSFNet.
What’s more, we’re making it easy to get plenty of reading material to keep you busy and happy. The group has over fifty books discounted (or free!) over the weekend.
Let us know if you’re participating!
What are you reading?
Who are you reading with?
Are you doing something particularly awesome and fun when you Drop Everything And Read?