It's National D.E.A.R. Day!

Happy 90th Birthday to Beverly Cleary!

The NEA, National PTA, the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), and Reading Rockets have teamed up with Ramona Quimby and HarperCollins Children's Books to declare Ms. Cleary's bithday National Drop Everything and Read Day.

How to celebrate?

The D.E.A.R. and Reading Rockets sites have lots of suggestions complete with bells and whistles: teacher guides, free materials, printables, e-cards ... even t-shirts. These are certainly ways to generate excitement and publicity, but I'm with Read Roger - D.E.A.R. Day at our house will be much simpler.

I've been reading Kate DiCamillo's The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane aloud to the kids this month. (Even my 11-year-old son loves it! I'll post a review when we're done.) So, tonight, we'll read together a little longer, lights out will be a little later, and we'll all enjoy a little extra quiet reading time.

Happy D.E.A.R. Day!

Here are some links to help you celebrate:

First, of course, is Beverly Cleary's website.

Then, check out Reading Rockets' D.E.A.R. Day content for the video interview with Beverly Cleary.

A Fuse #8 Production has a link to NPR's All Things Considered interview with Ms. Cleary.

Finally, you can help replenish libraries hit by Hurricane Katrina by contributing to the NEA's Books Across America campaign.