Give Books a New Life

March is National Reading Month!

 To celebrate this, why not perform an act of kindness this month that supports reading!

Here are some ideas of how you can support reading in your community and none of them need to cost any money.

• Donate gently used books to a library.  Many children do not have access to books because of financial reasons. Libraries are a great resource. Anyone can sign up for a library card and enjoy thousands of books for free.
• Check out Bookbgone. a free-of-charge, media-removal service that is dedicated to recycling, reusing and donating unwanted books. We pick up books, CDs, and DVDS in any condition curbside from New Jersey homes. We are a book-loving, environmentally-responsible limited liability corporation.  You can get more information on this fantastic organization at http://www.bookbgone.com/
• Leave paperback books in public places like train stations and public book sharing shelves.
• Visit http://www.bookcrossing.com/  to learn about BookCrossing, a fun way to recycle your books and trace where they travel to!  “It’s the World’s Library. It’s a smart social networking site. It’s a celebration of literature and a place where books get new life. BookCrossing is the act of giving a book a unique identity so, as the book is passed from reader to reader, it can be tracked and thus connecting its readers. There are currently 1,698,386 BookCrossers and 9,562,895 books traveling throughout 132 countries. Our community is changing the world and touching lives one book at a time”.
• Offer a new teacher some of your children’s books that they no longer read, to add to their classroom libraries.
• Volunteer to read with children during D.E.A.R. time, (Drop Everything And Read)  at your child’s school.

There is a Chinese Proverb that reads, “a book is like a garden, carried in the pocket”.  Continue to cultivate that garden by spreading books for others to enjoy.

Tagged: book crossing, bookbgone, bookbgone.com, bookcrossing.com, D.E.A.R., Dr. Seuss, National Reading Month