By Jennifer Baljko

Today, April 23, is a special day for book lovers, aspiring readers, and just about anyone else who has ever felt a jolt of excitement after running their fingers down a hard-covered spine or flipping through e-reader pages of their favorite tome.

It’s World Book and Copyright Day, as coined by UNESCO and the United Nations.

Historically, today honors writers Miguel de Cervantes, William Shakespeare, and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, who are said to have died on this day in 1616. In Barcelona – where Worldreader is based – the festivities are more romantic. Hundreds of stalls line streets downtown, and women and men traditionally exchange books and roses to mark what they also call Sant Jordi’s Day.

Hovering over the tables, carefully deciding which book may offer the greatest promise, I’m reminded of conversations I’ve had recently with authors who have donated books to our program and Worldreader stories I’ve heard coming out of Ghana.

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By Jennifer Baljko

Can someone fall in love with reading before he evens know how to read? Sure. Author Daniel Pinkwater did.

“I became involved with books and liking books and thinking books were fun before I ever learned to read,” Daniel told Wordreader, recalling some of his childhood memories about growing up in Chicago. “I was hooked on literature from the age of four or five because we played games in the backyard.” Continue Reading →