The Bookmark: A Perfect Gift Suggestion
By JIMMY BASS, Coweta County Public Library Director
The Christmas season has past and children everywhere were looking to get that coveted gift, the one they have dreamed about the whole year.
Parents frantically fought the manic masses in hopes of finding “it,” the gift that made this Christmas perfect. And, I am all for the perfect gift for your little or bigger bundle of joy. But, if you are interested in something that will be around probably longer than Grandma’s fruit cake, please allow me to recommend a gift for next year.
I recently was looking at pictures of past graduations for our “1,000 Books before Kindergarten ‘’ program. This is an inspiring, FREE program we offer at all libraries where young children can read (with aid of family, teachers, etc.) books with the hope of being recognized and rewarded at one of our fantastic graduation parties (there are gifts!). I have seen some wonderful sights in my life but one of my favorites is seeing a roomful of children with graduation caps sitting with their families as we announce their name. The light from all the smiles in the room is truly dazzling and warm.
Besides a cute photo op, there is one thing that really makes me excited about the gift I am about to tell you about. If you have children or grandchildren, all of them can take advantage of “1000 Books.” But it is not a requirement to get the real gift nor do you have to be a child to get it … it is free to all. It is the gift of literacy, with a shelf life that runs as long as you do and there is no cap on how much you want of it. Look… I can cite statistic after statistic about children and the positive effects of reading (better school scores, higher college acceptance, stronger in science and math) but for children it is fun! It is also a family event, a parent or sibling or grandparent can join in the excitement of seeing the sparkle in the eye of a happy reader.
As for adults who claim that they do not read, find something they are interested in and gift them a book about it. It can even be an audio book. There is also a place called the library where these books, audios, eBooks, etc. are available for all and they are FREE. How many times do you read an article about Christmas gifts and the word FREE is mentioned twice (now thrice)???
We are overloaded with information these days and it seems to me that nobody can sit still for longer than 10 minutes. Is it Facebook or Meta or X or Politics? I do not know but I can tell you that there is something very peaceful about relaxing with a good mystery, biography, historical novel, children’s book with your child or whatever you would like to read. And after all, isn’t Christmas also the season of Peace? Do something for those you care about… give them the gift of literacy and the gift of peace. I guarantee it will get you on the good list!
Jimmy Bass is director of the Coweta Public Library System. He also plays a mean guitar and sings at local venues.
