Amy Dickinson’s Great Idea: A Book on Every Bed

Posted on December 19, 2015 at 8:43 am

My annual reminder about Ask Amy’s “book on every bed” advice for families, a wonderful annual tradition:

You take a book (it can be a new book or a favorite from your own childhood). You wrap it. On Christmas Eve (or whatever holiday you celebrate), you leave the book in a place where Santa is likely to find it. When I communicated with David McCullough about borrowing his idea, he was very clear: Santa handles the delivery and places the book on a child’s bed.

In the morning, the children in your household will awaken to a gift that will far outlast any toy: literacy.

I know this for sure: No matter who you are or what you do, reading will unlock untold opportunities, mysteries and passions. When you have a book and the ability to tell, read and share stories, you gain access to the universe of others’ imaginations. And avid readers know that if you have a book, you are never alone.

For some good suggestions, check out this list from Fault in Our Stars author John Green.

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A Book on Every Bed: Amy Dickinson

Posted on December 18, 2013 at 3:51 pm

I love Amy Dickinson’s idea of “A Book on Every Bed,” a wonderful way to start Christmas (or any other special occasion).

Here’s how it works: You take a book (it can be new or a favorite from your own childhood).

You wrap it. On Christmas Eve (or whatever holiday you celebrate), you leave the book in a place where Santa is likely to find it. When I communicated with David McCullough about borrowing his idea, he was very clear: Santa handles the delivery and places the book on a child’s bed.

In the morning, the children in your household will awaken to a gift that will far outlast any toy: a guided path into the world of stories.

I know this for sure: No matter who you are or what you do, reading will unlock untold opportunities, mysteries and passions.

When you have a book and the ability to tell, read and share stories, you gain access to the universe of others’ imaginations. And avid readers know that if you have a book, you are never alone.

Please start this tradition with your family. It will give your children the enduring pleasure of the magic of books.

A Book on Every Bed: Amy Dickinson’s Proposal for Every Child

Posted on December 16, 2012 at 12:56 pm

It is a pleasure to once again endorse “Ask Amy‘s” program to encourage parents to share the love of reading by putting a book on every child’s bed so that the first thing they see when they wake up is a wonderful story. The holidays may be filled with things that beep and flash and connect to the internet, but it is a good time to remind children of the power of words. Some of my favorites:

The Secret Garden A fierce little girl with a new home in a mansion on the moors discovers a secret garden where more than flowers bloom.

The Phantom Tollbooth A boy goes on a journey to a mysterious land where two battling kings have lost touch with rhyme and reason.

Press Here Touch the yellow spot and you will find that imagination can transform even better then technology.

Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch A lonely man gets a mysterious letter with the message in the title. It changes the way he sees the world — and the way the world sees him.

Z Is for Moose This hilarious adventure through the alphabet has a surprisingly tender finale.

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