Today is National Book Lovers Day & Some Fun Ways to Celebrate!

Helping the children we love develop a love for books and reading is something which has the potential to last all their lives. Today is National Book Lover's Day which makes it a great day to think about, celebrate, and enjoy books - especially with the children we love!

So, here are a few fun ideas for celebrating with your grandchildren!

First, some history of this wonderful day, which I found on-line . . .National Book Lovers Day invites everyone to celebrate the joy of reading every August 9. Dive into a captivating novel, explore a fascinating non-fiction title, or simply reread an old favorite. Pick up a new book, visit your local library, or share your favorite literary quote with a friend. Book Lovers Day appreciates the medium which has withstood and preserved its importance in time — literature. 

The modern book is made by binding paper, but before the invention of paper, books came in the form of tablets, scrolls, and engravings. Every civilization had its own way to document events. Some time in 3500 B.C., the Mesopotamians would make markings on clay tablets using a pointed device, made from the stem of the reed plant, called the calamus. These writings on the moist clay were called ‘cuneiform.’ Approximately 20,000 of these tablets were discovered in modern-day Iraq.

Paper was invented in China in the 1st century A.D. By experimenting with various materials such as hemp, fishnets, and the mulberry plant, Ts’ai Lun invented the first paper. With time, printing on woodblocks also became the go-to way of reproducing books in China. The ancient scrolls dating back to the 4th century B.C. are considered the first ‘books,’ but by today’s definition, the oldest surviving compiled book is “The Diamond Sutra” which was published in China on May 11, 868.

Hardback books ruled the market at the start of the 20th century, with a certain prestige associated with the hard bindings of books. But from 1937 onwards, paperbacks rose in popularity, paving the way for digests, pulp fiction, and pocket-friendly books.

National Book Lovers Day By The Numbers

• 1,207,937 – the number of reading sessions started on Bookly in the past year.
• 8.27 – the number of books per person by which book sales fell in 2001.
• 359,803 – the number of books and e-books added on Bookly between 2019 and 2020.
• 16,555 – the number of audiobooks added on Bookly between 2019 and 2020.
• 909,394 – the number of reading sessions started by female users on Bookly between 2019 and 2020.
• 350,485 – the number of reading sessions started by male users on Bookly between 2019 and 2020.
• 25–34 – the ages between which the most books are read.
• 80 million – the number of active users on the popular book site Goodreads.
• 24% – the percentage of American adults who have not read a book in 2018.
• 6 – the number of books by Dr. Seuss that rank among the top 20 bestselling children’s books of all time. 

 So, now for some fun ideas to celebrate World Book Day . . .

• This is a great day to take time to read some of your favorite Dr. Seuss books with your grandchildren.
• For more Seuss and book fun, have your grandchildren create their own "Wocket in my Pocket" book. I did this with my grands when they were little and it was a lot of fun! 
• Make a special book about each grandchild - and have them help. Include things about them - such as a page for each of their favorites . . . color, bird, animal, place, etc and pages of photos - from when they were little to the age they are now. Add drawings, pages about the things they enjoy and add your own blessing page then fasten it all together for a special book for each grandchild!
• Take a favorite book and make it into a simple play - assign parts and film your own version of the book made into a "movie"!

These are just a few ideas of how you might celebrate National Book Lovers Day! What might you do?