Which #DistinctiveReads will you read during National Library Week?
Did you know that April is National Library Month? April 19-25 is National Library Week, and we're celebrating! It’s hard to believe that this month means not celebrating that milestone by visiting your local library or even the treasure-trove that is your very own classroom library. While we are all still staying home and safe this month, we can honor this special month by celebrating what libraries mean to cultures, humanity and even our school community!
Books are special and our very-own personalized learning tools! We choose the story, take a deep dive with the characters to take an adventure or learn something completely new. Books can transform a boring afternoon into a magical adventure. And it all started with the thought that a library can be the place where adventures begin.
Speaking of getting lost in a good book … want to read one? We are lucky to have Bluestem Award Nominees in Illinois or the Mitten Awards in Michigan as sources of great suggestions from librarians for young readers! Both award lists serve as a referral for works written specifically for our kids hungry for a story to spark their imagination or even to learn of real-life events.
Here are some fun facts you can share with your kids this month:
- Where was the first known library? Egypt, of course, with records going back to 3rd millennium BC.
- Which Founding Father helped to bring the concept of library to the colonies? Thank Benjamin Franklin, who helped to organize membership-based libraries. No such thing as a free borrow then…books were very expensive and hard to come by. Here’s a little bit more.
- Who funded the first public library in America? That was Andrew Carnegie in 1833. In fact, he built more than 1,700 libraries between 1881 and 1919.
- Wouldn’t you LOVE to see what some of the world’s most famous libraries look like? Now you can when you visit this page! Get inspired to seek out some of the world’s best-loved reads in some really inspiring destinations! It’s almost as fun to daydream about seeing some of these amazing libraries as it is to get lost in the pages of a great book!
Help us celebrate this month by letting us know what book you’re currently reading! Post a photo of your favorite book on your favorite social media platform and tag it #DistinctiveReads! We will share photos at the end of April to wrap up our celebration of #DistinctiveReads!
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