World Book Day: leveraging the power of books and reading

Ahead of the World Book Day on 23 April, we are spotlighting national reading initiatives – from long standing ones to recent ones launched during the Coronavirus outbreak – follow #EIBFreads

 

On 23 April we are celebrating the World Book Day – an initiative promoting enjoyment of books and reading. Organised by UNESCO since 1995, the World Book and Copyright Day “encourages everyone, but especially young people, to discover the pleasure of reading and gain a renewed respect for the irreplaceable contribution of those, who have furthered the social and cultural progress of humanity”. 

 

Read our joint press release on this World Book Day -  authors, publishers, and booksellers call for international support

 

The marking of this day will be even more important this year, when most schools around the world are closed, many booksellers have closed their doors, and people are being asked to stay inside as much as possible to help contain the spread of COVID-19, Coronavirus pandemic. In these bleak times, we can channel the power of books to combat isolation, forge connections between people, and expand our horizons, while stimulating our minds and creativity.

 

Reading has a positive impact on both physical and mental health by strengthening our brains, increasing our ability to empathise, help us improve our vocabulary, and helps in preventing age-related cognitive decline. In addition, reading can help reduce stress levels, alleviate depression symptoms, and prepare us for a good night’s rest.  

 

Since the spread of Coronavirus, and the launch of containment measures, many countries have been promoting various reading initiatives to engage with their citizens – from reading competitions between students in schools and/or families to general calls to all to stay at home and read. 

 

At EIBF, we recognise the importance of books and reading in people’s lives. Books, and bookshops, are one of the cornerstones of our civilization. Booksellers enrich the communities they are part of, offering cultural, economic, and educational contribution to society. This is why we are spotlighting various national reading initiatives ahead of this year’s World Book Day. 

 

Join us in sharing the love of books and reading, and help us feature reading initiatives from every corner of the world. We encourage you to share this message with others through #WorldBookDay, #EIBFreads, and dedicated # of national initiatives:

 

     -    Bulgarian: #ЧететеКниги 

     -    Dutch: #ikleesthuis, #ikverspreidhetleesvirus 

     -    English: #ChooseBookshops, #StayHomeAndRead, #ReadAloudCanadian, #AustraliaReadsAtHome

     -    Finnish: #kirjankanssakotona

     -    French: #JeResteChezMoiEtLire 

     -    German: #findyourbookstore, #buchsolidarität, #StayAtHomeReadABook, #bücherhamstern, #buchmoment

     -    Italian: #ioleggoperché #leggiamounastoria, #ioleggoacasa, #conunlibro

     -    Latvian: #lasamgramatasmajas 

     -    Lithuanian: #skaitaupalaikau #liknamiesuknyga

     -    Norwegian: #helenorgeleser 

     -    Polish: #TerazCzasNaCzytanie

     -    Portuguese: #leyaemcasa, #lerdoceler

     -    Romanian: #citimacasa

     -    Spanish: #YoMeQuedoEnCasaLeyendo, #YoLeoEnCasa

     -    Swedish: #HemmaMedEnBok

     -    Turkish: #evdeyimokuyorum

     -    global: #behindeverybook 

 

Throughout April, we will be spotlighting this page and sharing reading initiatives on EIBF social media channels on Twitter and Facebook. Follow us there, and keep an eye on #EIBFreads, to stay up to date with our campaign. We will also collate all produced material here. 

 

Social media material 

 

Here you can find all material we have used on our social channels since the launch of #EIBFreads campaign:

 

 

 

Cover photo: InstagramFOTOGRAFIN/Pixabay