Tomorrow, December 1st, marks the third annual Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day. More than 1,000 bookshops in North America, along with stores in the U.K. and Australia, will be hosting special events to celebrate young readers. Many bookstores will have readings, book giveaways, door prizes, refreshments and more.

According to Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day founder Jenny Milchman:

“Bookstores hold a place in the hearts and times of our community. They are places to discover an author, a story, a life. Nothing affords the conversation and interaction among books and book lovers that a bookstore does. In the future, whether you download your story or pluck a volume off a shelf, a bookstore will be able to accommodate. But in order for bookstores to flourish and thrive, we must expose future generations to the unique pleasures they offer. On December 1st, 2012, take the child in your life to a bookstore. Watch his face light up as you give him free access, not just to a new book, but to tomorrow.”

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• Indie Feature: Avid Bookshop (fortheloveofbookshops.com)
• Pleasures of a good bookshop (travelbetweenthepages.com)
• Independent Bookstores, Two Great Ones in Downtown Santa Cruz (nativesantacruz.org)