The Book Bus

It is estimated that 800,000 kids in Zambia miss out on a basic education every day. In 2007, The Book Bus was created to bring books to kids in Zambia. The Book Bus is in fact a bus, decorated with Quentin Blake's illustrations and filled with children's books. The bus also carries volunteers from the UK and Zambia who enthusiastically read books, tell stories, disseminate books to kids, and help develop library spaces. Since its inception, The Book Bus has begun operating two more buses -- one in Malawi and one in Ecuador.

The Book Bus is currently accepting books for Zambia. The deadline for shipping books to Zambia just happens to be February 14th -- International Book Giving Day. More information about donating books is available at The Book Bus's website.

The Book Bus volunteers playing games with kids in Zambia.

For more: "The Book Stops Here" - The Guardian 

Let's Share What We Are Doing to Celebrate International Book Giving Day

If you are getting books into children's hands (and hearts!) on International Book Giving Day this year, we want to celebrate you and your generosity!

We hope that we can all use this International Book Giving Day website (and associated Facebook page, flickr group, etc.) to connect, share stories, and inspire each other to work together to ensure that all kids have access to books.

To that end, please take a few moments to…

·      Add your name to the list of people giving books to kids. Leave your name and country as a comment on the “We’re Giving Books” page.

·      Answer our “How will you celebrate International Book Giving Day?” poll (above right).

·      Share a photograph. This could be a photograph of a child unwrapping a book, a book being slyly deposited in a waiting room, a Valentine’s Day book exchange, etc. A few ways to share photos: 1) add a photo to our International Book Giving Day flickr group, 2) post a photo on International Book Giving Day’s Facebook page, or 3) email a photo to amy dot broadmoore at gmail dot com. 

·      Leave a comment here or on our Facebook page letting us know how you plan to celebrate International Book Giving Day.

Attn Bloggers: Join our International Book Giving Day Link-Up

We are inviting those of you who have blogs to join our International Book Giving Day link-up. To participate, write a short post about which books you gave and to whom. Publish the post on your own blog sometime between February 14th and February 21st.

On February 21st, we will host a link-up at Playing by the book and, if all goes well, right hear. You are warmly invited to take part. So, “put a note in your diary,” “mark your calendars,” or do what you do to ensure that you do not forget important dates – important dates like February 21^st – the date of our International Book Giving Day link-up.

International Book Giving Day Bookplates

Three children's author/illustrators have generously designed International Book Giving Day bookplates! You can download these bookplates and attach them to books you give for International Book Giving Day if you would like.

This first bookplate from Clara Vulliamy features characters from her soon to be published book Martha and the Bunny Brothers. Thank you very much, Clara, for your immediate enthusiasm and support for International Book Giving Day!

International Book Giving Day bookplate - Clara Vulliamy

This second bookplate was designed by author/illustrator Viviane Schwarz. It's kind of perfect for International Book Giving Day. Thanks, Viviane!

International Book Giving Day bookplate - Viviane Schwarz

And a third bookplate! Awesome! This time, created by children's author and illustrator Alex Milway. Now you have options. I think this third bookplate, featuring Harold the Hamster, might be the best choice for my 7-year-old son.

International Book Giving Day - Alex Milway

An Invitation to Authors (and other rock stars of the children's book world)

Help us get new, used, or borrowed books in the hands of as many children as possible this month!

You can participate in International Book Giving Day by giving a book to a friend or relative, donating a box of used books to a good cause, or leaving a children's book in a waiting room. Let us know that you are participating, and we will add your name to our list of author participants.

To let us know that you're in, leave a comment, email amy dot broadmoore at gmail dot com, or tweet @bookgivingday or @delightchildbks.

Let's see how many people we can get to commit to giving a book to a child by February 14th!

Also, if you would like to donate a bajillion books to The Book Bus or Books for Africa, design a bookplate or a lovelier header for this website, or organize a fleet of biblioburros to bring books to kids throughout the world, we will work with you. We look forward to hearing from you!

The biblioburro bringing books to kids in Colombia.

This is a fantastic story! Colombian teacher, Luis Soriano Bohorquez, shares his collection of books with kids in rural Colombian villages via his "biblioburro" -- his books and a table (!) strapped to his donkey's back.

Three simple ways you can get involved with International Book Giving Day

1. Give a Book to a Friend or Relative.

Is there a child in your life who would enjoy receiving a book on February 14th? In lieu of or in addition to a card or box of chocolates, choose a good book from a bookstore or public library. Do not underestimate the value of a library book lovingly selected and wrapped in pretty paper.

2. Donate a Book.

Wrap up a box of children’s books that your kids have outgrown and get them in the hands of children who could really use a book or two. Donate your books to your local second hand store, library, children’s hospital, or shelter. Alternatively, donate your books to an organization working internationally to get books in the hands of kids.

• Books for Africa (US)
• The Book Bus (UK)
• Pelican Post (UK)

3. Leave a Book in a Waiting Room or Lobby.

Choose a waiting room where kids are stuck waiting and there are few to no good books available. Purchase a good book, and deposit your book covertly or overtly in your waiting room of choice. The goal here is to spread the love of reading to kids, so choose a fun book, nothing controversial.