Happy World Book Day!

I've only just made the discovery about World Book Day and I think it's super cool, so I'd like to share it with you, along with other really awesome booky organizations.

In 1995, UNESCO named April 23 World Book and Copyright Day to encourage reading around the world and in honor of literature greats like Shakespeare (Happy Birthday! ...And Deathday! :/) and Cervantes.

To share in UNESCO's fervor, World Book Night was started in the UK to encourage adults to read, as statistics show that 35% of people in the UK don't read regularly. They print out their own copies of 20 carefully selected books targeted to reignite reading in adults across the UK, and soon across the world, and they get volunteers to share those books with the people who fall into that statistic.

For adults in the UK, there is also Quick Reads, which has the same purpose as World Book Night, but with a constant outreach and their own hand-picked easy-read books.

And there's Ireland's National Adult Literacy Agency, promoting literacy by reading and writing.

There was even a commission done in the UK, finished in December 2013, with evidence and final recommendations to improve literacy rates in order to improve employability. It was partnered with the National Literacy Trust, which is an enormous organization promoting literacy in the UK.

But wait! Let's not forget that the US has astounding numbers for illiteracy, too. However, it's hard to find lots of strong programs in the US like the UK has. World Book Night is now expanding to the US, thankfully. But also...

American Library Association to the rescue! Of course, this national organization has support in spades for literacy in the US. They have their own programs for reaching out to adults, and particular support to English-learning adults both through their own efforts and other partners.

However, it looks like the last literacy polls in the US were completed in 2003, so they're in desperate need of updating. I can't wait to see how programs will expand in the States, and I hope awareness levels are raised like they are being raised in the UK!

Catch the fever and pick up a book today! Happy Reading!