Nothing captures the essence of World Read Aloud Day better than our international partners and friends who have brought the spirit of this day to their corners of the globe!
We are so grateful to our international partners not only for bringing WRAD to their local communities, but for continuing to extend the joy of reading and the advocacy for literacy all year long by providing programs where young people can have a space to read, learn, and share stories together.
We also want to extend our gratitude to LitWorld friends around the world who organized beautiful celebrations! We love to see all the different ways in which each community chose to bring WRAD to life.
For 15 years, Lindsey Manwell has been at the heart of World Read Aloud Day™ with her vibrant illustrations. As we celebrate the 15th anniversary of WRAD, we’re thrilled to feature an exclusive interview with Lindsey, exploring her creative purpose, favorite illustrations from the past 15 years, and the enduring power of art in encouraging a love for reading.
Dear LitWorld Friend,
We are honored to have been invited to participate as a charity partner in this year’s United Airlines NYC Half, an annual race that attracts more than 24,000 runners, and is hosted by New York Road Runners.
At LitWorld, our mission is to strengthen kids and communities through the power of stories, a mission that aligns with New York Road Runners' vision to build healthier lives and stronger communities through the transformative power of running.
Are YOU interested in supporting LitWorld’s mission while meeting that New Year’s resolution? Let us help! We have 5 bibs available for serious runners ready to participate in the marathon and peer-to-peer fundraising on behalf of LitWorld.
It may be the holiday season, but here at LitWorld, we have our sights set on our favorite holiday of the year: World Read Aloud Day!
Mark your calendars for February 5th, 2025, and get ready to join thousands of people around the world as we collectively celebrate the power of stories.
"In these last five years, the word "innovation" has been used more than ever before, as people express reverence for the shiny silver Mac Airs and the ever slimming look of the mobile phone.
But in truth, there is just one innovation that has withstood the test of time, fought off wars and conflict, stood tall in the face of adversity and adapted itself to the different means by which it is conveyed. This is the power of story itself."
Last fall Hurricane Sandy caused widespread destruction throughout New York. We were devastated to learn that the library at Bellevue Hospital, run by the extraordinary organization, Reach Out and Read, was destroyed due to flooding.
To facilitate the restoration of this library, LitWorld introduced two of its most cherished partners, Reach Out and Read at Bellevue Hospital, and The Pearson Foundation's We Give Books. Through our partnership with these organizations we are replacing the 7,000 books lost during Hurricane Sandy.
On Wednesday, April 10, We Give Books will be bringing an exciting ReadMobile Event to Bellevue Hospital. The LitWorld team will be on site reading aloud with the children at Bellevue Hospital and sharing information about our work and our longstanding partnerships with these two great organizations.
The Bush Institute’s Women’s Initiative Fellowship is designed to enhance the leadership skills of women around the world. A critical component of the Fellowship is mentoring. Prominent American women are paired with Fellows who share their same profession. LitWorld's Executive Director, Pam Allyn, is mentoring Hadeer Maher, a brilliant social entrepreneur from Egypt. Here is more about Hadeer in her own words.
"My most significant role to my society was being the leader of more than 40 young people, motivating them to become active in their society and to start a social entrepreneurial project. My vision was to plant a developmental idea in a rural village and to spread the culture of reading and self-development to youth and children in that village.
The nearest school was an hour away, and I got the idea of building a book shelf just outside every house in this village. We also made lots of developmental workshops for the youth there to help spread some hygienic and self-developmental awareness. We let them learn what jobs and careers the outside world has to offer and to see what the isolation hides from them.
I envision Egypt as one of the greatest country in the MENA region by 2023. I want to be part of this development field in Egypt, maybe I can play a part in the registration of social entrepreneurship projects and let everyone know the difference between charity and development. I will work as hard as I can not to let any child live on the streets anymore, and work towards women's empowerment in Egypt."
Click to learn more about the Bush Center's Women's Initiative.
Write a letter, spread the global literacy movement. It’s that easy thanks to our partnership with A Thread of Blue. This stationary company with a big heart was started by Rachel Albert and Debbie Rosmarin who are generously donating 20% of proceeds from the sale of any Thread of Blue cards to LitWorld.
These wonderful women went a step further and offered to create the first ever LitWorld line of stationary using our favorite images from LitClubs around the world. We are overjoyed knowing these images that are so special to us are now a vehicle for sharing stories between friends.
Click here to shop for LitWorld note cards.
Click here to see the full stationary line from A Thread of Blue.
**At checkout, enter code LTW12 to allocate 20% of the proceeds to LitWorld.**
We know you will love these cards as much as we do, and thank you for supporting LitWorld in partnership with A Thread of Blue.
On our recent trip to visit our Innovation Hub in Haiti, we brought along magical books donated by our amazing partner, One Moore Book. The children and their LitClub Leaders were so excited to see books in Haitian Creole. We read aloud the trilingual "I am Riding" by M J Michele Jessica Fievre, illustrated by Jean Patrick Icart-Pierre.
One Moore Book publishes culturally sensitive and educational stories for children of countries with low literacy rates and underrepresented cultures.
For every 3 books sold, OMB donates one to a child in the featured country so that they may enjoy the books which benefit them the most. LitWorld is thrilled to facilitate this distribution for the Haiti Series.
Learn more about One Moore Book at onemoorebook.com.
LitWorld's Executive Director, Pam Allyn, and Creative Director, Dorothy Lee, are visiting LitWorld's Innovation Hub in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. They will be leading LitWorld LitClub Trainings alongside our wonderful partner, Toya Foundation for Girls' Leadership, on the different aspects of the LitClubs, from singing, to affirmations, to community building, and reading aloud.
Check out the LitCorps Ambassador Blog for daily reports.
The sun has set on another glorious World Read Aloud Day. Watch our one minute video celebration of WRAD 2013.
Check out more photo highlights from our NYC bus tour and WRAD celebrations around the world, and don't forget to share your own photos and stories with us.
Thank you for raising your voice to advocate for the world's children, and for their right to read. World Read Aloud Day will always be the first Wednesday in March, so mark your calendar for March 5, 2014!
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