Stories can bring hope and adventure and magic - share a story today

 February the 14th is  INTERNATIONAL BOOK GIVING DAY

I don't know if you remember back to your childhood when you first began to learn to read? Remember pointing out one word at a time as you read it? Or using a book mark or line guide to help as you followed the lines down the page? I was fortunate and was taught to read before I started any formal schooling because Mum loved books and stories and passed this love on to me at a very young age.

Throughout my childhood, then, I loved books and losing myself in stories. Books and the characters in them were my friends and together we went on exciting adventures without even leaving the house! I loved storied so much that at age eight I began writing my own - but that's another...story!

We know that not all children are lucky enough to have access to books. Many have none or few. Why does this matter?

Numerous studies show that reading not only helps children develop language skills and progress in all curriculum areas, it also has a big impact on their all round psychological and other well-being  - from thinking skills to empathy to social development

Books and stories matter. And that's why International Book Giving Day matters. Getting books, free books, into the hands of children who have few or none has never been more important.

If you're an author/publisher why not make a children's e-book free for a few days?

If you have extra copies why not offer them to children's groups or charities that pass on good quality books?

If you have a story blog or website then post free story or two!

Stories can bring adventure and hope and magic.

Share a story today.

Millie's Magic by Hilary Hawkes and illustrated by Andrea Petrlik is publishing in English, Croatian - and other languages.

Millie sets off to find a special gift of something magic for Grandpa’s birthday? But where do you find magic?

Millie searches high and low but finds nothing. Then she makes a surprising discovery! A story about adventure and inner magic! 

Currently Free with Kindle Unlimited and five special gift edition mini paperbacks given free this week from STORY THERAPY

Andrea Petrlik is an international award winning illustrator from Croatia. A graduate in Graphic art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Zagre, she has illustrated more than sixty picture books, many for Kasmir Promet in Zagreb, and also for British and American publishers. She has won prestigious awards across the globe. In 2004 -The Grand prix OBI 04, Oita Biennale of Illustration, Oita, Japan, for the illustrations in her picture book Ciconia Ciconia (White stork). In 2018. BIBF Reader's Choice Award (Beijing International Book Fair). She was Croatian candidate for Hans Christian Andersen Award 2018. In 2008, UNESCO chose one of her illustrations for their World Book and Copyright Day poster.