Celebrating World Read Aloud Day and World Book Day

Last week was a particularly Readerly one as two back-to-back dates in the calendar gave us lots to celebrate.

Wednesday saw the annual global celebration of reading aloud, World Read Aloud Day. The Reader Organisation was proud to be a WRADvocate of World Read Aloud Day for the fourth year and marked the day by reading aloud with hundreds of people across the country in our shared reading groups. Reading aloud is a wonderful way of bringing communities together to share in emotional, deeply human and connecting experiences and nowhere are we better encapsulating that ethos than at Calderstones Mansion House, where we are creating an International Centre for Reading.

Elsewhere in Merseyside, our volunteers from the Merseyside Volunteer Reader Scheme, funded by the Big Lottery Fund, shared what reading aloud means to them, in words that made us feel truly inspired. Some of the wonderful comments can be found below:

"Reading aloud is...: pleasurable...a good way to gain confidence...people sharing their own experience...so enjoyable with a participating audience...a caress."

"Reading aloud makes me feel...: involved...so much more aware of the power of a poem...alive...better."

Our Readers on Twitter also shared in the World Read Aloud Day excitement:

I didn't know such a day existed! So much poetry is only truly appreciated when you taste it on your tongue. I'm in! #WRAD15

'The Listeners' by Walter de la Mare is my favourite poem to read aloud! Reminds me of primary school- lovely memories #WRAD15

"Reading aloud makes me...want to be the voice of an audio book." #WRAD15

The fun didn't stop as we went straight into World Book Day on Thursday. We celebrated in style with City of Readers in a bookish extravaganza for younger bookworms at Calderstones Mansion, full of reading and crafty fun with create-your-own-book-covers. Our top three reads were also featured as part of Liverpool's favourite books as compiled by the Liverpool Echo, sitting alongside such names as Ricky Tomlinson, Kevin Sampson, Peter Hooton and Kim Cattrall. Can you guess which trio we might have chosen? Take a look at Liverpool's literature picks here.