February 14th is certainly known, first of all, as Valentine's Day or Valentine's Day. However, there is a growing number of people who know about another holiday celebrated on this day. Every year, starting in 2012, February 14 marks the International Book Giving Day ( or the International Book Giving Day, which unites everyone, who gives books to children and instills in them a love of reading.
There are holidays born, thanks to the attention of the UN or other public organizations to problems of an international nature, there are public holidays, religious, professional and others. One way or another, each of them has its own history of occurrence.
Book Day – is a holiday that has become international not only because of its global nature, but also because it has come out of the people with its roots, that is, the initiative of its appearance belongs to one ordinary person – American Emmy Broadmoor – founder of the children's book site in the USA.
In addition, Emmy Broadmoor – mother of three children. It is the question of one of the sons who once asked mom – why there is no such day of the year when people give each other books just like that, and became the impetus for the birth of a new significant holiday. Turning initially through her communication channels to familiar bloggers, users of social networks, colleagues and partners on the site, Emmy initiated in 2012 the annual holding of Book Gift Day on February 14.
The question of the little child, the initiative and the active position of his mother were picked up by millions of people around the world, which contributed to the formation of this holiday as International Day.
Today, on this day, it is customary to give books, first of all, to children, as well as to those whose opportunities for access to reading books for one reason or another are limited. However, not only children like to read. Fortunately, a lot of adults still understand and appreciate the book as an object not only of material, but primarily of spiritual value, appreciate the feelings and emotions that the author gives the reader. Children, in turn, learn good, friendship, mutual assistance, love for one's neighbor, a sense of empathy and much that helps the child become a person.
To date, the ideological inspirers of promoting and popularizing the book and the holiday have achieved their goal: the book is still loved, and the holiday is international in nature.
In Russia, in addition to ordinary citizens, many libraries across the country have joined the celebration of International Book Day. The growing popularity of the holiday contributes to the fact that book retail chains, book products, as well as charitable organizations may be connected to participate in its holding.
So, starting in 2017, with the support of the Russian State Children's Library, the all-Russian action « Give books with love » is held, within the framework of which books are collected for children's institutions, contests, quizzes, master classes, meetings with famous people, children's writers and artists, concerts with readers and other interesting events. For example, in 2019, the action « Give books with love! » combined more than 2000 libraries, schools, museums, bookstores throughout Russia, as well as several tens of thousands of people who love to read. A week of love for the book has passed in almost all regions of the country.
Over 5 years, 85 Russian regions joined the rally, more than a million books were collected and transferred to various organizations, and the partner of the – campaign « Business lines » – transported more than 70 tons of books free of charge.
The organizers and activists of the holiday ask all concerned people to take care of the book, not to forget that, unfortunately, even today in the world, not everyone has the opportunity to freely get acquainted with the book. Someone – due to insufficient material support, and someone – due to a difficult life situation, social reasons. There are orphanages, shelters, boarding schools, hospitals where children left by their parents are located. Bring books there that are read or not in demand because of children grown up in the family, give these books, seeing joy in the eyes of the child and remembering, that not only gadgets can cause such a genuine sense of – a good deed!