National Book Lovers Day
Research shows that time spent reading with or to your child will greatly increase their own literacy. There are so many reasons that we should celebrate National Book Lovers Day.
The National Commission on Reading says this: The single most significant factor influencing a child’s early educational success is an introduction to books and being read to at home prior to beginning school.
Reading with your child will give them a firm foundation. Even if you’re unable to afford the purchase of new books there are other options. Your local library, thrift shop, book sales at school. There is no reason to go without a book in your home.
Contents
The statistics
Take a look at these statistics on Literacy Project’s page. They are astonishing! If more parents understood the impact of not having books at home I have to believe they would make a better effort for their children.
- Currently, 45 million Americans are functionally illiterate and cannot read above a fifth-grade level
- 50% of adults cannot read a book written at an eighth-grade level
- 57% of students failed the California Standards Test in English
- 1/3 of fourth-graders reach the proficient reading level
- 25% of students in California school systems are able to perform basic reading skills
- 85% of juvenile offenders have problems reading
- 3 out of 5 people in American prisons can’t read
- 3 out of 4 people on welfare can’t read
On my soapbox for a moment
That last statistic begs the question of which came first. The chicken or the egg? In other words are the people unable to read as a result of being on welfare? Are the people on welfare because of illiteracy? I lean towards the latter. Why? Well, because being illiterate makes job hunting exponentially more difficult. Can you read the application? Can you write the answers? Are you well-spoken? These are just a few problems.
Am I putting these folks down? Not at all. There’s a breakdown in the system. As I mentioned earlier, there are few excuses these days not to read. Shame on the adults in a child’s life that didn’t educate them early on. Reading programs at school or your local library. Most (even on welfare) have access to a computer and the internet. There are programs online to help a child learn letters, numbers, and reading.
#NationalBookLoversDay
So what can we do to help stop illiteracy in the world? We can do our part in many ways. Promote reading in your home. It starts at home. Create a reading place in your home. Set aside time each day for your child and yourself to read. Either together or each with your own book. Create a book exchange box in your neighborhood or town (or both), like this one.
Fun fact – a Bibliophile is a person who has a great appreciation for or collects books. Don’t just be a collector though. Be a reader and lover of books!
Some nerdy history for National Book Lovers Day
- The earliest books used parchment paper or vellum. Even earlier books were on scrolls. (FYI, I learned this by reading a book to students)
- The first book was made in China.
- The pages were large and known as a leaf.
- Public libraries popped up in the Middle Ages.
- The Bible is the most read book in the world.
- When the Puritans printed the first book in America, “The Bay Psalm,” in 1640AD. It contained the Book of Psalms from the Bible. To this day, only eleven copies of this book are known to exist.
Check out some of my favorites
In case you missed it, here’s yesterday’s National Day
