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CWILL B.C. leads Canada’s first World Read Aloud Day celebrations

World Read Aloud Day has come to Canada for the first time, by way of the Children’s Writers & Illustrators of British Columbia Society. The group has partnered with LitWorld, a New York”“based non-profit literacy organization that launched WRAD four years ago, to organize today’s events in Vancouver.

With the help of Skype’s classroom initiative, CWILL B.C. president Lori Sherritt-Fleming, along with B.C. authors and illustrators Silvana Goldemberg, Lee Edward Födi, Cynthia Nugent, Suzanne de Montigny, and Robin Stevenson, will read aloud to students across the world.

Tonight, Christianne’s Lyceum of Literature and Art, a popular space for Vancouver literary events, will play host to a pajama party and bedtime-story reading with 10 local authors including Tiffany Stone, Kallie George, and Darlene Foster.

“This is something we’re all passionate about,” says Sherritt-Fleming. “Having our books read aloud [to] encourage literacy and a lifelong love of stories.”

In 2013, the grassroots campaign reached 65 countries and more than one million participants. Sherritt-Fleming wants to get the rest of Canada involved next year, with hopes to use Skype to connect authors with classrooms in remote communities.