LitWorld has announced that the next World Read Aloud Day, annually celebrated by millions on the first Wednesday of February, will be held on February 3, 2021. This year’s celebrations will include a special focus on engaging communities virtually to bridge the educational and emotional gaps created by the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing quarantines and school closures.
World Read Aloud Day, founded by the nonprofit LitWorld in 2010, is an opportunity for people around the globe to celebrate the joy of reading aloud and to advocate for stories as tools to build community, literacy, and equity. In the wake of COVID-19 and its severe impact on students’ emotional and educational wellbeing – particularly students of color – this opportunity is more important than ever. According to the paper Why Stories Matter (2020), “When we read aloud and listen deeply to the words of others, we discover who we are and what makes us strong, and we build community around the parts of ourselves that matter most.”
“LitWorld’s annual World Read Aloud Day has become a movement engaging hundreds of millions of people around the world in standing up for literacy as a foundational human right. When communities have access to books that are meaningful to them, and tools to share their own stories, every aspect of life improves.” – Dorothy Lee, LitWorld Executive Director
● Considered a national holiday in numerous countries, World Read Aloud Day has been honored by celebrities such as Jimmy Fallon, Chelsea Clinton, and Arianna Huffington, as well as renowned authors such as Kwame Alexander, Jerry Craft, Jacqueline Woodson, Dav Pilkey, and more.
● This year, LitWorld and Scholastic are teaming up with football champion, bestselling author, and literacy advocate Malcolm Mitchell to celebrate World Read Aloud Day.
● The day is widely celebrated across social media, with the hashtag #worldreadaloudday trending annually.
● To celebrate while respecting social-distancing guidelines, thousands of authors, advocates, and others will be organizing various events, resources, read-alouds, and activities in preparation for the day.
● LitWorld also provides a multitude of online resources at: https://litworld.org/worldreadaloudday including activity guides, book lists, opportunities to arrange virtual author visits, and more to help readers organize their own virtual World Read Aloud Day events.
About LitWorld:
LitWorld is a New York City based nonprofit and global advocate for dynamic literacy and the power of sharing stories. Over the past twelve years LitWorld has reached hundreds of thousands of young people with their signature LitClubs and LitCamps in 20+ countries with 50+ partner organizations, allying with communities to give children tools that amplify their voices and build agency with the belief that everyone can change the world with their stories.
For more information about LitWorld or World Read Aloud Day, please visit: https://litworld.org/worldreadaloudday.
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact: Hannah Polauf, (347) 406-256, hannahpolauf@litworld.org
Sponsor:
Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL), the global children’s publishing, education, and media company, sponsors World Read Aloud Day. For access to free resources for celebrating World Read Aloud Day, including a free VirtualKit containing a list of 30 read-aloud titles, printable activity sheets and how-to craft projects inspired by beloved children’s titles, reading materials, coupons, and shareable social media graphics including a WRADvocate badge and custom virtual backgrounds for read-aloud memories made over web conferencing services, visit the Scholastic World Read Aloud Day website at: https://www.scholastic.com/worldreadaloudday. For more information about Scholastic, visit the Company’s media room: http://mediaroom.scholastic.com.
