World Read Aloud Day is celebrated each year on the first Wednesday of February. It     1     (start) by the Lit World. Org website in 2010 and has now reached 65 countries.     2     (it) goal is to encourage people worldwide who cannot read to enjoy the benefits of a book. The website asks everyone to celebrate the day by taking a book, finding an audience, and reading it out aloud. It is about taking action to show the world that the right to read and write     3     (belong) to all people.

2 . GREAT BOOKS TO TEACH CHILDREN ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE

Here is a shortened list of books sponsored by the magazines TIME and TIME for Kids that are suitable for primary schoolers. To make the list, we considered how age-appropriate the material was, and whether the tone and story line left the reader feeling engaged and empowered rather than anxious or confused.

Experts recommend the youngest kids to read books that explore the beauty and fragility (脆弱) of nature. When developing an appreciation for the world around them, they can switch to books that show the cause and effect of how humans treat our planet, and why it’s important to respect the environment. For older primary school kids, picture books can illustrate how our use of fossil (化石) fuels contributes to global warming. Most of the books on the list also offer lessons about how children, families, schools, and communities can make a difference.

THANK YOU, EARTH: A LOVE LETTER TO OUR PLANET By April Pulley Sayre This photography book shows to us plants, animals and landscapes in vivid colors and descriptions. From up-close images of insects to pictures of mountain ranges, the pages introduce children to the planets’ diversity in a simple but effective way.	THE LORAX By Dr. Seuss Thanks to its rhyme, and whimsical illustration, this classic tale is suitable for young children who can grasp the scarcity of natural resources, and also older kids who can see a danger in valuing profits over long-term environmental harm.
WE ARE WATER PROTECTORS By Carole Lindstrom A tribute to native tribes that are protecting the planet, this book vividly shows the harms of oil pipelines. Kids will see the value of community action, while adults will recognize the story of the native tribes Standing Rock Sioux’s fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline.	POLAR BEAR, WHY IS YOUR WORLD MELTING? By Robert E. Wells This book introduces the greenhouse effect with illustrations showing how sunlight gets trapped. It then explains fossil-fuel energy, and our reliance on it for electricity and transportation. The pages are full of science.

3 . GREAT BOOKS TO TEACH CHILDREN ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE

Here is a shortened list of books sponsored by the magazines TIME and TIME for Kids that are suitable for primary schoolers. To make the list, we considered how age-appropriate the material was, and whether the tone and story line left the reader feeling engaged and empowered rather than anxious or confused.

Experts recommend the youngest kids to read books that explore the beauty and fragility (脆弱) of nature. When developing an appreciation for the world around them, they can switch to books that show the cause and effect of how humans treat our planet, and why it’s important to respect the environment. For older primary school kids, picture books can illustrate how our use of fossil (化石) fuels contributes to global warming. Most of the books on the list also offer lessons about how children, families, schools, and communities can make a difference.

THANK YOU, EARTH: A LOVE LETTER TO OUR PLANET By April Pulley Sayre This photography book shows to us plants, animals and landscapes in vivid colors and descriptions. From up-close images of insects to pictures of mountain ranges, the pages introduce children to the planets’ diversity in a simple but effective way.	THE LORAX By Dr. Seuss Thanks to its rhyme, and whimsical illustration, this classic tale is suitable for young children who can grasp the scarcity of natural resources, and also older kids who can see a danger in valuing profits over long-term environmental harm.
WE ARE WATER PROTECTORS By Carole Lindstrom A tribute to native tribes that are protecting the planet, this book vividly shows the harms of oil pipelines. Kids will see the value of community action, while adults will recognize the story of the native tribes Standing Rock Sioux’s fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline.	POLAR BEAR, WHY IS YOUR WORLD MELTING? By Robert E. Wells This book introduces the greenhouse effect with illustrations showing how sunlight gets trapped. It then explains fossil-fuel energy, and our reliance on it for electricity and transportation. The pages are full of science.

6 . 2002 it was, and I, a young girl who set out with the idea of getting my own library card, was permitted by my mother, Nichelle Nichols, to walk the mile from Prince George to the library in nearby Port Perry.

Down the street from Port Perry High was the library—a dark-brown brick building, imposing to a child of only seven years old.

To the left of the sidewalk was a series of steps that I climbed to push through a heavy door into a very large room filled with books. To an older lady I said, “I’d like a library card, please.”

She replied, “The children’s section is downstairs.”

“But I want adult books, because I can read.”

“Well, you are a child. You can’t get a card up here.”

“I’m six and I can read and write.”

“Go along child,” she said in a pleasant but authoritative voice.

I found the side door and walked in, seeing short and low shelves full of children’s books. Upon opening one, I read, “See Spot run. Run Spot. Run.” I opened another book. It read, “Once upon a time there was.” Sighing quietly, I walked out and back up to the main desk. By now, it was getting dark and I had to hurry.

“You’re back.” said the librarian.

“Yes. I will make you a deal. You hand me any book you like. If I can read a paragraph in it, you’ll give me a library card.” Shrugging (耸肩) happily, she handed me a thick book, I opened it and began to read. When I finished, the lady took the book back without a word.

I waited for a while and finally the lady stood up, handing me two cards. On one was printed the days and times the library was open to adults, and on the other were the precious words, Bonita Sue Nichols. I thanked her and quickly left the library.

8 . Reading is an exercise for the mind. It is good for our vocabulary and literacy skills, teaching us math or science concepts and helping us learn history.     1     Have you read a story and felt tears well up because of a character’s suffering? If so, that is because you have empathy (共情) for the character. Empathy is a magic eye that sees into other people’s hearts and it can be learned through various fictions.

Research shows that human brains react differently to stories and facts. Many more areas of your brain light up when you’re enjoying a story, and your brain thinks you are in the story.     2    

Empathy helps you to read people’s emotions and work out the best way to respond. This skill, called emotional intelligence (EI), can make it easier to communicate and connect with people.     3     One study found that people who read the Harry Potter novels, which tell stories about humans fighting against the evil, were less likely to behave unfairly towards powerless groups including refugees (难民).

    4     After reading The Boy at the Back of the Class, a story about a boy who is a refugee escaping from the war, students in St Michael’s High School were inspired to do a 10-mile walk for the non-profit organization Refugee Action. Their empathy also stimulated them to raise £1,000 for people who were forced to leave their homes because of war.

Reading encourages us to empathise with others, which could potentially lead to several beneficial outcomes. Not only are we more likely to engage in helpful behaviors when we feel empathy for other people, but others are also more likely to help us when they experience empathy.     5