Are books relevant any more in our digital age? Can the publishing industry survive when the reading habit has become a thing of the past? Who wants to read a book when you have all the information and entertainment resources available at your fingertip on a smart phone?
The answers to these and similar critical questions can be found in the UNESCO-sponsored World Book Day (WBD), which is observed every year on 23 April. On the one hand, World Book Day pays tributes to great literary figures such as William Shakespeare (the day of his birth and also death) and Miguel de Cervantes of Spain who died on the same date. It is also a day to celebrate the joy of reading.
It is a celebration of everything related to books — authors, illustrators, technicians, publishers, printers, distributors, teachers, librarians, and above all readers, especially children. In some countries, on this day, children of all ages come together to celebrate reading. They also dress up in their favourite literary characters. World Book Day also aims at encouraging more children to discover the joy and benefits of reading by providing them with the opportunity to have their own books. Above all, it tells children that reading is fun, and that it makes a huge difference to their future success.
World Book Day also encourages parents to read with their children, talk about what they read and suggest reading materials to them. Spending some ten minutes a day reading with their children, can make a huge difference to their lives. According to the Director General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, “Books have the unique ability both to entertain and to teach. They are at once a means of exploring realms beyond our personal experience through exposure to different authors, and cultures, and is a means of accessing the deepest recesses of our inner selves.”
This story is from the April 2021 edition of The Teenager Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 2021 edition of The Teenager Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Morning Walks
Spreading Joy and Positive Vibes as We Stride
PETS AND PLANTS IN YOUR HOME
There are many benefits to having pets and plants. If you are a pet lover and a plant lover, too, you definitely get incredible love, joy, happiness, and peace from both of these sources.
Change the Narratives in Your Mind
I recently watched an interesting video about the narratives we constantly make up in our minds about individuals and occurrences.
MASTERING YOUR MONEY
A Teenager’s Guide to Developing a Positive Money Mindset and Financial Habits
Be True to Yourself
Mark is standing and drinking coffee with his assistant standing next to him.
Shaolin Gung Fu
It is generally believed that Bodhidharma (Tamo, his Chinese given name), a travelling Buddhist monk, when in China, initiated a concept of fitness for the monks (the 18 Lohan movements, a series of postures with yoga breathing) (SI and self-defence techniques. These initiations were due to circumstantial and existential situations.
Phanindra Sama The Man Behind redBus Success
“You see things; you say, ‘Why?’ But I dream of things that never were and I say ‘Why not?’” These words of George Bernard Shaw resonate in the life of Phanindra Sama, the founder of redBus, the world’s largest online bus ticketing company with operations in six countries.
Taslima Nasreen From Exclusion to Inspiration
Taslima Nasreen — an ecstatic transgender woman, accountable entrepreneur and determined social activist. Abandoned by her family at the age of 13, she attempted suicide, but fate had other plans in store for her.
Aarav Anil Saviour of Parkinson's Patients
Meet Aarav Anil, a 17-yearold robotics enthusiast from Bengaluru, who has proved his passion for robotics by developing a cost-effective and innovative solution that promises to improve the lives of Parkinson’s patients.
ROHAN BOPANNA No.1 at Level 43
During our days of primary education, there were no mobile phones and no Google to enhance our worldly knowledge.