Beverly Cleary, the beloved award-winning author of some of the world’s favorite children books, first wrote about D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything and Read) in Ramona Quimby, Age 8.
It’s exactly what it sounds like it is- a time in the school day to “drop everything and read.” In Beverly Cleary’s honor, D.E.A.R. Day is celebrated annually on her birthday, April 12th.
This year? Beverly Cleary is turning 100 years old.
At the Read-Aloud Revival, we aren’t inclined to let such a day pass without doing it up right. :)
We’ve made you a little something that will help you celebrate D.E.A.R. Day at home. It’s a collection of the best ideas to help you celebrate D.E.A.R. with us on Beverly Cleary’s 100th birthday!
Here’s how to celebrate D.E.A.R. day on April 12th:
1.) Download the FREE D.E.A.R. Whole Family Book Club Kit by popping your email into this form:
Email address:
2.) Choose a few things from the kit to do in your home. This can be as simple as having graham crackers and apple juice for a snack (Ramona would approve, but only to a point!), or as elaborate as inviting your friends over for a full-on party. We’ve got ideas that run the gamut from super simple to more elaborate inside. You pick what fits your family and your schedule.
3.) Drop Everything and Read with us at 12pm Pacific (3pm Eastern) on Tuesday, April 12th. Take pictures of your kids and post them on Facebook or Instagram with both of these hashtags: #readaloudrevival and #dearwithrar. We’ll plaster the social media world with our reading kids’ posts on D.E.A.R. Day!
4.) Check out the Beverly Cleary Walking Tour. Our very own Kortney Garrison took pictures of the real tour so that you could take part virtually, even if you live nowhere near Portland Oregon! Click here to see the tour.
Inside the FREE D.E.A.R. Whole Family Book Club Kit, you’ll find:
Ways to celebrate D.E.A.R. day, from super simple to more elaborate
Dinnertime conversation starters
Snack and food ideas
An exclusive Read-Aloud Revival D.E.A.R. Coloring page
Creative narration ideas (because D.E.A.R. Day totally counts as “school”, even if it’s all you do!)
Related reading for your Cleary-loving kids
Our hope is that this Whole Family Book Club kit will bring your entire family together around worldwide D.E.A.R. Day and the wonderful work of Beverly Cleary. We hope you’ll make discoveries about each other and the world around you, and that the memories formed while doing so will last a lifetime.
Keep in mind that using this book club kit can be as simple as reading the book together and asking a few of the dinnertime conversation starters. It does not need to be a project.
If you’d like, however, you can ramp it up, add a few themed snacks, and choose a creative narration or celebration activity to do together. It’s as simple or as fancy as you want it to be.
Ready to snag it? Pop your email into the box below:
Email address:
We can’t wait to Drop Everything and Read with you on April 12th!
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