If you give a girl a book, she's going to ask for another.
When you give her that book, she'll probably ask you for a dictionary for the words she doesn't understand. When she's finished pouring over that, she'll want to go to a library.
Then she'll want to look up a subject in their databases. When she looks in the database, she might notice ten more books she needs. So she'll probably ask for a library card.
When she's finished checking out her books, she'll want to stack them all up and carry them home.
She'll start walking. She might get carried away and walk all the way to school. She may even end up sitting down in a classroom, as well!
When she's done with school, she'll probably want to take a nap. You'll have to read her a story as she lays back against her pillow. She'll settle in, listen intently, then tell you all of her new dreams from her books, and the dictionary, and the library, and the classroom. So you'll listen to her hopes and daydreams and tell her that she can be anything she wants to be, do anything she wants to do.
When she hears your answer, she'll get so excited she'll want to start right away. She'll ask for classes and teachers. She'll work harder and harder until she's finished with primary school, then middle school, then high school. When those classes are finished, she'll want to sign up for college. Then, one day, she'll want to hang her acceptance letter on your refrigerator. Which means it will be nearly time for her to leave . She'll pack her bags and all of her books and move in to her dorm room.
Looking at the boxes of her things will make her nostalgic, and remind her of her copy of Anne of Green Gables, her very first book, safely tucked in the bottom box. So she'll tearfully ask you to get it out.
And chances are, after she asks for that book, she'll ask for another.
Education begins at home, for males and females alike. While this piece chronicles one little girl's story through academics, it is the experience of her very first book, very first library trip, and very first enraptured moment in the classroom that so many can relate to. In the U.S. alone, more than twenty percent of adults read at a fifth-grade level, or lower. Even just one book for a child can make the difference of a lifetime for their education and quality of life. For females, the struggle, and therefore the value of one book, is even greater; globally two-thirds of the world's illiterate adults are female. In a world that doesn't stress the importance of an education for women, it's necessary to note that a book is a very good start for young girls in the world. The relationship between having books in a home and a child's likelihood for strong academic achievement is one strongly evidenced by many studies. If you're looking for a way to give to children without access to literature at home, find a list of options here.
