On February 5, 2020, LINC will launch the first of its quarterly literacy holiday celebrations. Wednesday, February 5 is World Read Aloud Day and LINC communities throughout the five boroughs of New York City will simultaneously read the book Copycat Bear by Ellie Sandall.
Why bears? At LINC, we call February B.E.A.R. month to share the message “Be Excited About Reading” to our families and our mission is to practice what we preach.
Copycat Bear tells the story of a bear and a bird’s friendship and mirrors one of the key purposes of World Read Aloud Day - a day when different people all around the world come together. It is through reading that we build community and connect with one another which translates into empathy and understanding. “Birds are different from bears but they can be best friends,” says Mango Bird.
World Read Aloud Day is a global effort to reinforce the importance of reading skills and advocate for this essential human right. We know that children who cannot transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn” by third grade are 13 times more likely not to graduate from high school, and this affects their entire lives from health to their livelihoods.
LINC’s Community Literacy Model mobilizes existing resources in schools, families, and communities in high-need neighborhoods of New York City so that all children have a chance to enjoy reading.
This February, grab Copycat Bear or your favorite book to join the movement and spread the joy of reading in your part of the world.
