Thanks to the power of Twitter, I learned today is International Children's Book Day. I'm marking the calendar and plan to make this an annual event in our house. I love children's books. I spent most of my weekend reading a stack I borrowed from the elementary/middle school library I volunteer at, including:
INCARCERON by Catherine Fisher (an upper MG steam punk/fantasy)
LILY'S GHOSTS by Laura Ruby (a MG ghost story with a touch of humor)
DEEP, DARK AND DANGEROUS by Mary Downing Hahn (a well-written, delightfully unnerving ghost story)
The cold I'm fighting was added incentive, but I planned to plow through a stack of books for spring break anyway.
Lifelong readers can all tell you about their most memorable childhood books--mine range from solving mysteries with Nancy Drew to smiling with the lyrical Dr. Seuss to learning life lessons with the beautifully written and illustrated Serendipity Books by Stephen Cosgrove & Robin James. Many of us are still reading children's books today. Maybe it's because we never tire of the adventures. Or maybe we want to always stay in touch with our inner child and ability to play. It's mostly sure because we love a well-told story.
The magic of books is that it can be all of those things and more. I hope you all celebrate your love of reading and this special day. Read a children's book, new or old. Read to a child. Visit a library. Pick up a popular book (Hunger Games anyone?) or try one with a beautiful cover. Grab a picture book, middle grade or young adult. Better yet, ask a child for a recommendation. The kids I work with at the library always have great suggestions (and even better imaginations).
I'm starting MAGYK by Angie Sage today. What are you going to be reading?
