Books Are Gifts

Every month of the past school year, my daughter gave her preschool teacher a new book for her classroom library.  To show her appreciation, my daughter’s teacher would send home a sweet thank you note.  After receiving one after another, I finally told her that the kind thank yous were not necessary.  I told her I’d be giving her many books throughout the year, as a librarian it’s what I do.  A thank you for each one isn’t necessary.  Instead, I told her to let her students love, read, and enjoy the books until they fall apart from too much use.  That’s the best way to say thank you for the gift of books.

I give books  - period.  Anytime a baby is born, a birthday is celebrated, a graduation is accomplished, a retirement is recognized . . . I give books.  To show thank you to my child’s teacher, to fill the Little Free Library for my neighborhood, to celebrate my student’s reading accomplishments . . . I give books.  When I need an incentive for my daughter, want to teach her new and exciting things, and reward her good behavior and a job well done  . . . I give books.  

To me, books are more than the price listed on back . . . books are priceless gifts.  Books take readers on adventures and new discoveries.  Books teach readers new perspectives and open doors to new possibilities.  Books teach educational ideas and concepts; they help the mind learn and grow.  Books connect people all over the world, and have been doing so long before the internet and social media.  

When you give a book, you give so much more than a bound cover with pages.  Not only do you provide the reader with a world of possibilities, but you are filled with joy knowing others are experiencing the wonders of reading.  Do me a favor - when someone gives you a book, pay it forward.  Read it and pass it on to a lucky reader, and encourage them to do the same.  Keeping the love of literacy alive is the best way to say thank you for a gift of books.

If I had a million dollars, I’d buy books for any and all who would love and appreciate them as much as me.  Until then I’ll continue to buy books for others little by little, and encourage others to give as well. Books are a powerful gift, and one that keeps on giving long after the last page is turned.