As I prepare my program for the Hialeah Literacy Fair, I have been imagining what it would be like to be unable to read. Have you ever really thought about that? In our country, literacy rates are high, but still there are many children and adults with low reading skills. You may even know someone who is unable to read or comprehend what he or she is reading.

As readers, we take for granted how much we accomplish each day by reading. I learned how to do practically everything I do by reading.  Here is a partial list

  • Getting a Degree in Creative Writing
  • Having a career as a travel writer
  • Learning about geography
  • Learning how to cook
  • Learning how to be a tropical gardener
  • Learning how to sew
  • Learning how to write, publish, manufacture and promote a children’s book
  • Helping my Mom get through 9 years of cancer (constantly researching the illness)
  • Learning how to fix things around the house
  • Learning how to buy a safer car
  • Figuring out where to go on vacation
  • Reading for entertainment
  • Teaching myself how to master a MacIntosh computer
  • Satisfying my curiosity to know about a lot of things

The main reason I published a children’s book was to make reading fun for kids and encourage them to want to read more and want to learn more about the world.

What can you do to encourage the love of reading?

  • Get a library card for the child in your life, no matter how young that child may be.
  • Donate books to those who cannot afford to buy them.
  • Volunteer to be a reading mentor at your local library, school or community organization.
  • Give the gift of reading by buying books rather than toys.
  • Tell a child about a book you’ve read that has inspired you or changed your life.
  • Thank your child’s teachers often.
  • Appreciate your local library by using it and being kind to librarians who are there to serve you.

Imagine what your life would really be like if you could not read. Then be grateful for all the books, websites, manuals, magazines, newspapers, movie scripts and all the people who write them.

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