A Book on Every Bed

This holiday season will be the second in which advice columnist Amy Dickinson and the Family Reading Partnership team up to spread the joy of reading to children. Their campaign, called “A Book on Every Bed,” encourages parents whose families celebrate Christmas to choose a book for their child, wrap it, and leave it on the foot of the child’s bed to be found on Christmas morning. 

The idea came from Pulitzer prize-winning author David McCullough, who remembers waking up to a book at the foot of his bed each Christmas morning as a child. “I think my love of books began on Christmas mornings long ago, and the love has never gone stale,” McCullough says. His children received Christmas books, too, and they have passed the tradition on to their children.

Dickinson observes, “Parents who raise children surrounded by books and stories give their kids a leg up in life. Children who love books grow up to be good and attentive listeners. And kids who read for pleasure have ready access to heroes.”

This great idea can be adapted for any special occasion (Hanukkah, birthdays, or the first day of a new  school year, for example) and can be a great source of inspiration for children as they begin to associate enjoyable holidays and special events with books. What better way to share the love of reading with a child?