09/08/2026
For 60 years, September 8th has served as a reminder that literacy is more than the ability to read a page. It creates access to knowledge, independence, opportunity, participation, and entirely new ways of understanding the world.
Today, 739 million adults around the world still lack basic literacy skills, and millions of children are not reaching basic reading proficiency.
This year's International Literacy Day theme, "Literacy for people, the planet and prosperity," asks us to consider literacy not simply as an educational goal, but as a foundation for stronger people and communities.
As we build The Book Porter, that's something we think about often. We believe in children growing up surrounded by books. We believe in adults continuing to learn, question, and discover. We believe stories can expand our understanding of people and places beyond our own experience. And we believe communities are better when reading and curiosity have a place within them.
We can't solve the world's literacy challenges. But we can make books visible. We can make reading communal. We can help a child find the book that makes them a reader, and we can give curiosity somewhere to go.
