Writers Tricks of the Trade ISSUE 1, VOLUME 9 | Page 28

they were readily available to anyone who
wanted to read them. Thanks to
his ingenious invention and the advances
since then, we are able to enjoy the works
of authors from Shakespeare and Tolstoy to
modern indie authors who bring their
works to us through the ease of self-
publishing.
On April 23rd, 1995, the anniversary of
the death of William Shakespeare and Inca
Garcilaso de la Vega, prominent Spanish
Chronicler, the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO) created World Book Day.
World Book Day is the world’s biggest
campaign to provide every child and young
person in the country with a book of their
own. A registered charity, World Book Day
is generously supported by sponsor Na-
tional Book Tokens. It brings together the
UK and Ireland’s bookselling and publish-
ing industries in an extraordinary collabo-
ration. World Book Day returned in 2019
after one of its biggest years to date with a
range of new initiatives that will help to get
even more books directly into the hands of
children and young people, especially those
who wouldn’t otherwise have access to
them. Catering to all age groups, from tod-
dler to teen, the list expanded with 13 new
£1 titles created to appeal to the widest
possible range of children and young peo-
ple, tastes and abilities.
Is your country or town encouraging
reading and making books available to
children via a World Book Day? If so, per-
haps it is sponsored by your local libraries
or national booksellers or publisher. Per-
haps there is a committee that plans this
once-a-year event. If not, check into it to
S PRING 2019
becoming part of the worldwide effort to
preserve our children’s imagination and
encourage adults to keep reading. Video
games, online social networks and so many
other modern possibilities cut into the time
or desire to read books, and books are the
gateway to imagination and creativity.
H OW TO C ELEBRATE W ORLD B OOK D AY
Maybe you have a book you just can’t
get around to finishing. Imagine celebrating
this day by finding the time to do some
reading. You could curl up on the couch or
easy chair with a cup of coffee or tea and
enjoy every last page.
If you have children, this could be the
perfect day to teach them about the joys of
reading. We are so flooded with images and
videos in today’s world that we run a very
real risk of abandoning reading entirely–
why bother, if we can just watch a movie or
TV show? Imagination is a child’s best
friend that follows them into adulthood,
and we must contribute to keeping that lit-
tle imagination as active as possible. Pick a
topic your child is interested in. Spend part
of this day exploring the magical world of
literature together! Because April 23 is a
weekday this year, if you have to be at
work, just move it to the 20th or 21st. The
thought is the same.
Maybe you would enjoy getting together
with some friends for the reading of a book
you all love. Think about this. When you
hear someone read sentences aloud that
you have only murmured to yourself, it
could cause you to see them in a whole new
way as the reader adds feeling or emphasis
of certain elements.
Whichever way you choose to celebrate
World Book Day, make sure it’s an enjoya-
P AGE 23
W RITERS ’ T RICKS OF THE T RADE