According to the Oxford Dictionary, a book is defined as being a "written or printed work consisting of pages glued or sewn together along one side and bound in covers." This is the part where we should all laugh, because we all know that a book is so much more than just it's given definition. And if you give a girl a book, there is an endless list of possibilities that await for her...
If you give a little girl a book, she will develop an imagination. One that allows her to see things the way that she wants to. If you give a little girl a book about princesses and dragons, her mind will roam to a magical land filled with enchanting dresses and enormous creatures of her own imagining.
If you give a teenage girl a book, she will grow. She will be exposed to a whole new genre of books, ranging from science-fiction, mystery, humor, romance, etc. Her creativity and imagination will flow and become stronger than before.
If you give a young woman a book, she will become stronger. Her mind will become stronger than ever, as will her creativity and imagination, a gift that we should never let fade or slip away. It will give her something to relate to, something to understand on a completely different level. It will give her the chance to experience things she may never actually have the chance to do.
If you give a girl a book, her mind will lead her to a place where only she can go. A place that she imagines as her eyes scan each and every page, filled with literature, romance and adventure. A place where every character is created in what she imagines they should look like, a place where the air smells the way she wants it to, a place where the stars shine brighter than they do here on earth.
If you give a girl a book, she will experience love, heartbreak, joy, hope. The list goes on. She will fall in love with characters, and when the time comes for the book to end she will be devastated at the fact that it's over. But then she'll find a new book, new characters, new friends. A new place that she can call home for the next 200 to 300 pages. And the good thing about this cycle is that there will always be more books than we could ever read in a single lifetime.
You see, the magical thing about books is that they can take us into a whole different world. They can take away the pain of a bad day. They can distract our weary hearts from the news we see on TV. They can lead us away from the negativity of social media. Books can be a getaway, a safe haven. A place where our imagination can run wild and free without judgment from anyone else, because the bond and experience of reading belongs to us. Our own personal selves.
For the girls out there (and all of you boys, too) who think that reading isn't cool, or that you're a "nerd" or a "dork" because you read... Embrace it. You're one unique cookie. Reading is in no way not cool, in fact I think it is one of the coolest things we could do. Instead of watching reruns of episodes we've already seen or watching the same movie for the hundredth time, why not read a book? Why not venture into the unknown? It's okay if you get excited every time that you walk into a bookstore. It's okay to enjoy the smell of old books. It's okay to retreat to a book after a long day. It's okay to have the desire to have a library bigger than Prince Adam's in Beauty and The Beast.
So, pick up a book, and stop worrying about what others think. Book worms unite, am I right?
Just remember... If you give a girl a book, you're giving her the chance to grow and explore in ways that she never thought she could. She'll thank you, someday. Trust me.
If you give a girl a book, she will never be alone.
