Friday, April 12, 2024

D.E.A.R Day (and Happy Birthday Beverly Cleary!)


Every year, on April 12th, we celebrate Drop Everything and Read (D.E.A.R) day, a day for families to commit to drop all other distractions and spend 30 minutes reading together. 

D.E.A.R day has been officially celebrated since 2006, but do you know the origins of it? 

D.E.A.R. day was established on April 12, 2006 in honor of Beverly Cleary's 90th birthday. Drop Everything and Read was first established in Ramona Quimby, Age 8, when Ramona's teacher, Mrs. Whaley decides that "Sustained Silent Reading" doesn't sound very enticing. However, Ramona, being Ramona decides that D.E.A.R doesn't sound near as grown up as "Sustained Silent Reading", so she continues to call it S.S.R. and it's her favorite part of the day. 

The Ramona series, and other Beverly Cleary books continue to resonate deeply with young readers, and Cleary has sold 91 million books worldwide. 

So today, April 12th, celebrate this renowned Oregon author and commit to 30 minutes of zero distractions and reading. Whether that's reading to your kids, curling up with your favorite mystery, or picking up a biography of your favorite author, today is the day to Drop Everything and Read.

Oh, and we'd love to hear WHAT you're reading in the comments!

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