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Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day is celebrated at stores around the world

Founded by a writer and mother, Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day is set for Dec. 1 this year.

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Ben Arnoldy
"I wanted to begin a holiday that would expose as many kids as possible to this joy" of bookstores, says Jenny Milchman, founder of Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day.
  • By Molly Driscoll Staff Writer

You are most likely aware of Take Your Child to Work Day, but a new holiday may be a little less familiar: Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day.

The event, which lands on Dec. 1 this year, is taking place for the third time and was founded by author Jenny Milchman, who writes on the event's website that she thought of the idea for the special day when her children were young.

“I was going to story time at bookstores nearly every week,” Milchman wrote. “Did all children know the pleasure of spending time in a bookstore? I wondered. Of being drawn into a magic world for a while, then being left to choose treasures on the shelf? I wanted to begin a holiday that would expose as many kids as possible to this joy.”

Last year, 400 bookstores in the US participated as well as stores in the UK, Canada, and Australia. This year 1,100 stores have received materials related to the event – a newsletter and poster – meaning they may choose to participate.

The website for the day features a map which allows users to find bookstores in their area that will be celebrating Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day, and many stores are planning special events.

“On December 1st, 2012, take the child in your life to a bookstore,” Milchman wrote on the site. “Watch his face light up as you give him free access, not just to a new book, but to tomorrow."

While the celebration doesn’t specify you need to take your child to an indie bookstore, the day is exactly a week after Small Business Saturday, which encourages consumers to go to their local stores for their purchasing needs. President Obama headed to Virginia bookstore One More Page Books with daughters Sasha and Malia to honor the day, picking up picture books that will reportedly be given as Christmas gifts.

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