International Children’s Book Day is celebrated each year on April 2nd. It is organized by the International Board on Books for Young People that was founded in the early 1950’s in Zurich, Switzerland. It’s the perfect time to remind children and parents to take time to read, celebrate literacy, and discover children’s books that are not well known. The reason that April 2nd has been deemed International Children’s Book Day is because it is Hans Christian Andersen’s birthday. Mr. Andersen was the writer of well-known children’s stories such as The Little Mermaid and The Ugly Duckling. We’re very familiar with these stories in the United States, but International Children’s Book Day is also celebrated around the world. To learn more about this day, visit the website and see what it’s all about.

Why Reading is So Important

Research shows that reading to (or with) your child every day can increase literacy skills tremendously. I have seen this in my own family. My daughter struggled with reading in first grade and her fluency and comprehension were pain points for her. However, in the two years since then, we’ve been making reading a priority in our family. We try to make sure both of our school-aged children read for fifteen minutes each day whether it is on a book or on their tablets. Their reading grades have already begun to show improvement and they are gaining confidence each day. My daughter is even at the point where she’ll ask to go to bed early so she can lie down with her chapter book and read for a while. That is music to this mama’s ears!

Learning About the World

Aside from reading alone though, it is important to use books to learn about the world around us. The world we live in is so huge and not all children have the means to be able to see different places with their own eyes.  How great to have books to allow us to see all the places we could go! Visit the library and take a look through the children’s books to find places you and your children would like to visit. Better yet, pick up your tablet or laptop and search for books about fun places. Reading is a vital part of learning and with technology, the opportunities are endless. Go grab a few books and enrich your imagination. Red Cat Reading has some great fiction and non-fiction books about the world. Check out Kitty Catties Take France and Kids Meet Japan, as well as Homes Around the World.

Guided Learning with Red Cat Reading’s e-Books

Red Cat Reading has many great resources for parents who want to help their children practice reading. There are free books every month plus videos and worksheets too. You can also find leveled readers that will help your child stay focused on moving up and onward through the many reading levels. This will allow them to build confidence and have a more tangible way of tracking their progress. Red Cat Reading offers a free trial for two weeks to let you try all of the amazing interactive books and online tools.  Embrace technology and help your child become a better reader today!

By Gabrielle Fisher

P.S. Help Your Child Get Ahead in Class with RedCatReading!

What’s Red Cat Reading? It is a leveled learn-to-read program that gets your kids reading the fast, fun and easy way, from letters to reading whole books! If you haven’t signed up yet… now’s the time.

Visit RedCatReading.com & Get FREE Lessons for Your Kids!