Read Across America

March 2 is Read Across America Day. That’s tomorrow, folks.

YIKES!

I strongly encourage you to grab a grandchild and sit down and read.

Hopefully you have one nearby.

If you don’t, you can sit down and read something yourself. (I highly recommend that YOU read The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. It’s funny!)

You don’t need to make a big production of the day. Just make sure that you read, read, read.

I love these following quotes about reading.

“Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book.” – Anonymous

“There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. Love of books is the best of all.” – Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

“There are perhaps no days of our childhood we lived so fully as those we spent with a favorite book. ” – Marcel Proust

“A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading.” – William Styron

“That’s what books do. They take you into new worlds, let you meet new friends, give you new experiences, give you new thoughts and new feelings — and lets you have fun doing it!”

Read Across America was started by the National Education Association. They declared that March 2 is Read Across America. Why? Because that day is Dr. Seuss’ birthday! Oh, those clever, clever folks!

So, if your grandchildren are at an age where they would enjoy a Dr. Seuss book, read one to them tomorrow in honor of Read Across America and of Dr. Seuss. (Or, you could read a whole slew of them, you know!)

What if your grandchildren are too old for Dr. Seuss books? Well, I’ve got several that I can recommend that you can share with your grandchildren.

For girls 8-12 years old, I recommend Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale (my favorite of her books), Princess Academy by Shannon Hale, and The Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff.

For boys, 8-12, I recommend the Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne (Pssst! Girls love these books, too!), The Ranger’s Apprentice by John Flanagan, and Holes by Louis Sachar.

For those that are 12 years old and above, I highly recommend Wonder by R.J. Palacio (to teach them to be compassionate toward handicapped children) and Mississippi Trial by Christopher Crowe (that is a great springboard for a discussion about racism).

And for ‘just for fun’ reading, I recommend The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau by E. Lockhart (love, love, love this book), The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde (but you need to read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte first to really appreciate this book), and The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak (this is a VERY gripping book and the movie follows the book really well).

Now, if you have grandchildren that are still into Dr. Seuss, try out this Dr. Seuss sign generator. You can make fun, fun signs WITH and FOR your grandchildren. Like this one. (Kaylissa is one of my granddaughters.)

And, by the way, there are other fun characters that you can use. (Polly is another granddaughter who has the cutest little hairdos!)

(You could use the Dr. Seuss sign generator to create fun bookmarks for your grandkids!)

So. Whatever you do whether on a grand scale or small, make sure you do SOMETHING!

Promote reading. You’ll be glad you did.