International Book Giving Day Feb 14‏

There is no monthly blog carnival this month because there were not enough entries.  We will shoot for next month.

If a blog reviews mystery/suspense/thrillers (even occasionally) then I would like to feature those reviews.   Multiple entries from a blog are welcome.  Submit your blog entry for next month's Carnival here: (http://blogcarnival.com/bc/submit_8796.html)

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But today I would like to share the news about International Book Giving Day, which is on February 14th.  It is a day dedicated to getting new, used and borrowed books in the hands of as many children as possible and it is an international holiday.  In 2012, International Book Giving Day was celebrated by people in Australia, Canada, South Africa, France, India, Ireland, Japan, the Phillippines, Spain, Turkey, the UK and the US.

There are three simple ways to celebrate International Book Giving Day!

1. Give a Book to a Friend or Relative.
Celebrate International Book Giving Day by giving a child a new, used or borrowed book.

2. Leave a Book in a Waiting Room or Lobby.
Choose a waiting room where kids are stuck waiting and there are few to no good books available. Purchase a good book, and deposit your book covertly or overtly in your waiting room of choice. The goal here is to spread the love of reading to kids, so choose a fun book, nothing controversial.

3. Donate a Book.
Wrap up a box of children’s books that your kids have outgrown and get them in the hands of children who could really use a book or two. Donate your books to your local second hand store, library, children’s hospital, or shelter. Alternatively, donate your books to an organization working internationally to get books in the hands of kids, such as Books for Africa. 

In addition, they encourage people to support the work of nonprofit organizations (i.e. charities) that work year round to give books to children, such as Room to Read, Books for Africa, Book Aid International, The Book Bus, Indigenous Literacy Foundation and Pratham Books. 

Check out  International Book Giving Day's website (click here.)  The website has bookplates, more information, and events.

 

Book Adventure for Children

I am a firm believer in children reading books.  I loved books as a child so I always had a book.  But reading is a challenge for some and they need extra encouragement and nurturing in this area.  There have been many studies done and research on how being a reader makes for a better student, not just till high school graduation, but for life.  

Reading opens up a world that allows a person unlimited access to knowledge.  Even if a person can not afford college, they can learn about the world and cosmos through books.  A reader can easily improve their skills and  capabilities with a free library card.  I give books to any children on my holiday list to promote their creativity, logic skills, comprehension, and even their sense of curiosity.  Yep, I'm a regular reading cheer leader.

When I found Book Adventure by Sylvan Learning, I just had to spread the word.  Book Adventure (http://www.bookadventure.com/home.aspx) is a free, online reading program for children in grades K-8 with the goal to help kids learn to love reading through interactive tools, games and motivational rewards.

In the Kid's Zone there is
- a book finder by grade level or an area of interest like mystery

- encouragement awards for reading
- online and printable games and
- resources to help children read better
- collect reading points and get prizes

Parent's Place allows the parents to see how their child is doing and be a part of their adventure and resources to keep your child motivated. 

The Teacher's Lounge contains many free tools to assist in the classroom - how great is that!
 - Find a book: Search for books or create a booklist for your students.
 - Prize Library: Create a prize for your classroom or approve prizes your students have earned.
 - My Classroom: Keep track of all the students in your classrooms, create contests and teams, develop quizzes and reading reminders for students and more!
 - Reports: View reading reports and create letters you can send to your parents to highlight a student’s reading progress.
 - Quizzes: Find and preview a quiz or view samples of reading quizzes.

I hope this is a helpful resource to any parents or teachers out there.  Reading is one of the educational fundamentals that we can't let slip for the sake our children's futures.

Since I love including videos - here is a short clip on tips for encouraging reading.

 

Check out Tail Waggin' Tutors Reading Program (click here) to find out how therapy dogs help children read.  My two favorite things together, pets and reading!