What's so special about April 23rd?

If you follow my page on Facebook, or make use of the Every Day Matters learning calendar, you'll see that some days have more than one reason that they are special. April 23rd, however, seems to have more reasons than most.  

By Angel Lahoz from Fuenlabrada, Spain - Georgia Tiflis Tbilisi, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32540894

April 23rd is St George's Day. He is the patron saint of England, Ethiopia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Portugal and Brazil. In Spain, he is the patron saint of Catalonia and Aragon. In Russia, he is the patron saint of Moscow. Listen to the legend of George and the Dragon at Storynory. 

Can you find these places on a globe or world map?  

 April 23rd is also Shakespeare Day, being the anniversary of his death in 1616 and, possibly, the date of his birth in 1564. He was a prolific writer whose work is still popular more than 400 years after his death. 

Why not watch an abridged, animated version of one of his plays or read one of his sonnets? 

UNESCO has declared April 23rd to be World Book and Copyright Day (this is celebrated at the beginning of March in the UK).  It's a day to celebrate the importance of reading. Every year, a different city is nominated to be the World Book capital, to carry on the work of World Book Day for the next 12 months. In 2021, this honour has been given to Tbilisi in Georgia. 

Why not read aloud a picture book set in another country to celebrate the global importance of books? Do you have a favourite? I'd love to know, please do leave a comment below or drop me a message on Facebook :) 

 As if these three observances weren't enough, the UN has also declared April 23rd to be both English Language Day and Spanish Language Day. Can you learn three new English words today to broaden your vocabulary? You can use a dictionary or thesaurus to help. 

Can you learn a few words of Spanish today? You could maybe chose ones that tie in with the other reasons to celebrate April 23rd, like book, play, saint, country or celebrate. 

You can get a free monthly copy of the Every Day Matters learning calendar in the Picture Book Explorers Facebook group, or get it sent direct to your inbox by subscribing to the newsletter below.

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