If you have ever attended a book festival, you know how fun it is to share the enjoyment of reading with others. At the National Book Festival in Washington D.C., enthusiastic readers (of
all ages) attend numerous author talks, book-signings, and family-centered activities that emphasize the importance of lifelong literacy. This year, while wandering through one of the
pavilions, I learned about the work of Room to Read. This non-profit believes that “World Change
Starts with Educated Children” and works to develop literacy skills and gender equality around the world. At their booth, they posed the question, What Would You Miss If You Were
Illiterate?” Festival participates responded with hundreds of replies such as,
I would miss:
being able to discover information on my own, rather than relying on others.
bonding with someone over a really good book.
writing letters to my friends.
the internet.
Harry Potter.
the escape from reality when reading a good book.
reading aloud to my class – my favorite time of day.
making friends online.
writing in my journal.
not being able to understand.
the fellowship of educated individuals.
peace and quiet.
Whitman.
being a librarian and sharing my love of books.
love letters from the man I married.
escaping to different worlds and time periods in my mind.
reading to my children and sharing the love of books with them.
a good laugh.
the inability to read my favorite cooking recipes from foodnetwork.com.
everything because reading is in everything.
life.
