1. Read to younger children — it changes their brains!

2. Let people see you reading . . . in the mall, a restaurant, anywhere!

3. Tell people about books you like, in person or with videos.

4. Talk to young children. That’s right, talk to them. Did you know that by the time kids are three years old, some of them have heard 30 million fewer words than other kids? That’s a lot of words! The next time you’re around a young child, talk to them as much as you can. Listen when they talk back, even if it sounds like baby babble, and don’t be afraid to use big words.

5. Share cool science info with your friends and family. The more people enjoy science, the less they will be afraid of it. Pay attention to how they respond to your stories. Do people look longer when you share photos or videos? Or when you add lots of details? Or when your voice sounds excited?

6. Look for chances to explain examples of the ways humans are hurting plants and animals. People care more when they can think about and understand specific details.

7. Challenge your family and friends to a Trash Stash competition where you carry all of your trash around for a day. Think it’s easy? Ha.

8. Share your language with an author. In a new children’s book by Catherine Ham called You Talking to Me?, I learned that there are more than 7,000 languages in the world. That’s amazing, isn’t it? I would love to hear my books read in non-English languages. (Here’s what they look like in Korean and Chinese, but what they sound like is still a mystery to me.)

Can you speak a language other than English? Perhaps you are learning a new language? Record yourself reading a page from one of the books below. Or photocopy a page and translate the words in the margins. Send me a note through this website and I will send you an email address to send the recording. Be sure to tell me which page(s) you are reading. I will post the recordings here. Ask your librarian if there’s a way to share your translation with your classmates.