February 14th has been designated as International Book Giving Day and all of my book loving friends can jump in on the fun. Last year I highlighted a bit about the special day and I decided to do the same thing this year in hopes of letting some new readers know about this great day.

This year the artist who created the design for the year is the talented Elys Dolan.  I love the vibrant colors and the whimsical look, don’t you? 

The goal of International Book Giving Day is to simply get books into the hands of children. Their official website shares this with its readers:

International Book Giving Day takes place on 14th February each year. The aim? To get books into the hands of as many children as possible.

14th February is about sharing the love of books! #bookgivingday

International Book Giving Day is a 100% volunteer initiative aimed at increasing children’s access to and enthusiasm for books.

Most children in developing countries do not own books.
In the United Kingdom, one-third of children do not own books.
In the United States, two-thirds of children living in poverty do not own books.
International Book Giving Day’s focus is on encouraging people worldwide to give a book to a child on February 14th.

We invite individuals to

1) gift a book to a friend or family member,

2) leave a book in a waiting room for children to read

3) donate a gently used book to a local library, hospital or shelter or to an organization that distributes used books to children in need internationally.

So how will I celebrate this day?  I have already sent an autographed Elephant and Piggy book to my great niece but I am also going to be placing some children’s books in the Little Free Library at the Boys and Girls Club locally.  The children really use that one and it will be a great place to put some special books as well as in my own Little Free Library.

Please feel free to visit the website here  and download printable bookplates and bookmarks to use in your donations.  Don’t forget to use  #bookgivingday in any of your social media posts to help spread the word.

Get yourself to your local bookstore and join the fun.  You have less than a week before the big day.

In case you wondered what some of my favorite books to read to my boys when they were little I have included a picture.  There are always so many but these were definitely in the top 10 list.