Drop Everything and Read!

If you're a reader, you know the irresistible allure of a day spent doing nothing but reading. Snuggling up with a cup of tea on a rainy day with a good read, or basking in the sun on a bright afternoon with a book in hand ... don't you sometimes wish you could just drop everything and read?

The good news is that on Saturday, April 12^th, you can do just that! Designated as National Drop Everything and Read Day (D.E.A.R.), it's a family-friendly reading event that will let book-lovers get their fill, and encourage reluctant readers to take time out and enjoy the act of reading, too. The event is inspired by the children's author Beverly Clearly, whose classic book Ramona Quimby, Age 8 features D.E.A.R. day, and on whose birthday the event falls. But you don't have to hit up such Cleary classics as The Mouse and the Motorcycle, Henry and Ribsy, or Ramona the Pest to celebrate D.E.A.R. Just take time out to pick up an old classic for a family read-aloud, or spend an hour browsing the stacks at your local library.

To get your child started, here are a few recommended books from the D.E.A.R. list that are sure to turn your child on to reading. Who knows, they may even want to drop everything and read for days, weeks, or years!

Amelia Bedelia's Family Album by Peggy Parish
Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman
Bigmama's by Donald Crews
In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
Pete's a Pizza by William Steig

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes
Morris Goes to School by B. Wiseman
A Three Hat Day by Laura Geringer

Dragonwings by Lawrence Yep
Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers
Heidi by Johanna Spyri
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

Boy by Roald Dahl
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Watership Down by Richard Adams

For more information about Drop Everthing and Read Day, visit www.dropeverythingandread.com.