But for them to do their job someday, we need to do our job today: We need to teach the children of the world to read;
and we need to expand the reach of children’s books. Like First Book and Worldreader, many other non-profit groups are trying to get books into the hands of under-served children. We need to support these groups all over the world.
Learning to read and loving to read can be a passport to freedom. With books, children can travel over boundaries and borders. With books, they can discover the best in themselves– and then use their talents to help others. They can overcome the hardships they face.
This message was brought home to me recently by my Japanese publisher. As we corresponded after the earthquake and nuclear disaster, he wrote to me:
“Post earthquake all Japan is facing up to a very difficult and tragic situation. Some people might think that in the devastated areas it is not a time for reading books – that there are much more important things to do first, even for the children. But that is not what I think. …I think that it is important to offer children wonderful experiences through books…such as going on adventures with Jack and Annie. Whenever the children open a book it brings them to its own world. They have fun and also learn many things….it gives them hope and motivation for their future.”
As Jella Lepman said 65 years ago:
“Bit by bit, let us set this upside down world right again by starting with the children. They will show the grown-ups the way to go.”
