Squeeze in a Read this Saturday, 25 February 2023

This Saturday, 25 February 2023, is Ireland Reads Day. This initiative is part of the Government’s ‘Keep Well’ campaign and supported by public libraries, publishers, booksellers, authors and many organisations that promote literacy and the arts.

Ireland Reads encourages young and old to “Squeeze in a Read”. They’re asking everyone to pledge time to reading on the day. You can choose to read any time during the month of February or on Saturday itself. Early Years settings, school classes, sports and activity clubs, or any kind of group could pledge to read together at a particular time. You can pledge your time here and at time of writing over 54,000 hours have already been pledged. There are so many benefits to reading at every stage of life, and especially in the Early Years, as Dr Mary Roche outlines in her Scéalta blog post.

Reading inspiration

Children’s story books

If you’re looking for inspiration on what to read with your pre-school aged children, this blog by the LINC team shares the Mary Immaculate College library staffs’ recommendations for the top five children’s books in both English and Irish.

Books for adults on Early Years pedagogy

For anyone looking to brush up on their pedagogy knowledge, our Membership, Excellence and Learning Manager, Milica Atanackovic, has put together some of her top picks:

• The Whole-Brain Child  by Dr Daniel J. Siegel and Dr Tina Payne Bryson
• Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire
• Art and Creativity in Reggio Emilia by Vea Vecchi
• Theory and Practice of Voice in Early Childhood by Lorna Arnott and Kate Wall

World Book Day

Taking place on Thursday, 2 March 2023, World Book Day follows closely on the heels of Ireland Reads Day. UNESCO has designated it a worldwide celebration of books and reading and over 100 countries around the globe celebrate it. Book tokens are distributed to children through Early Years settings, school, and School Age Care settings so that children can choose one of the €1.50 books without paying. For more information click here.

Finally, make sure you check out the events happening at your local library. Many are hosting book clubs, author readings, quizzes, and more.

However you decide to squeeze in a read, we hope you find the joy and peace that only reading a good book can bring.