National Get Caught Reading Month

Promote LITERACY!  Promote READING to CHILDREN!  Promote GIVING CHILDREN EVERY ADVANTAGE in LIFE from the GET-GO!  If these statements have you shouting YES! YES! YES!, then you will want to take part in National Get Caught Reading Month, May 2016. This was the brainchild of Pat Schroeder, the former congresswoman, and President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Association of Publishers (AAP) back in 1999, when the initiative was launched.

Everyone from authors to publishers, celebrities to teachers and schools to libraries are heavily vested in this endeavor as roles models for not only children but people everywhere. It has been proven that the earlier in a child’s life they are exposed to reading, the better that child will do in school.  All things being equal there can be no guarantees but giving a child the advantage of the interaction with books, stimulates brain development and can foster more efficient learning as they grow.

All month long, on Tell Me a Story, (one of my weekly internet radio programs) I am featuring published authors who will address this topic, share their personal stories of how reading has impacted their lives and perhaps, share something they have written (one can never tell with LIVE radio, exactly what will happen). I invite you to check the schedule weekly http://www.blogtalkradio.com/themagichappens to see who my current guest will be as well as to catch the podcast archives and share liberally!

What can YOU do to participate in your own way? Glad you asked!  Visit this website, http://www.getcaughtreading.org right now, for a tremendous amount of FREE materials to use in your home, classroom, youth group or share with those you know who would be interested. You can READ to CHILDREN every opportunity you get. If there are no children in your immediate vicinity, then offer to record your favorite stories and provide them to people with children.  Check out your local libraries to see what they are doing to celebrate Get Caught Reading Month, perhaps you can go there and read stories to children. Also, take a picture of YOU, being CAUGHT in the ACT of READING and send it to a child. Let them know that READING is COOL and offer to HELP THEM get ahold of books, if need be, so they can BE COOL TOO!

In the past, many in the public eye have supported this campaign, such as former first lady, Laura Bush, the late Robin Williams, the late Patty Duke, Rosie O’Donnell, Alicia Keys, Shawn Johnson, Dolly Parton, Dora the Explorer, Marlo Thomas and even Yoda!   I have barely scratched the surface here and this can be the year YOU are added to this list.

Passionate about reading and children learning to become passionate about reading?  Yes, I am and I believe that you are too. So I thank you in advance for climbing aboard this train and helping to improve the quality of life in this world.  You may be able to help only one child but think what that ONE CHILD can do with the leg-up you will provide!  Join us, as we all: GET CAUGHT READING, everywhere May 2016.

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