D.E.A.R - Drop Everything and Read Day
D.E.A.R. stands for "Drop Everything and Read," a national celebration of reading designed to remind families to make reading a priority activity in their lives.
Description & History
D.E.A.R. stands for "Drop Everything and Read," a national celebration of reading designed to remind families to make reading a priority activity in their lives. This day is celebrated every year on April 12th for author Beverly Cleary’s birthday. D.E.A.R. time was a reading practice featured in the Ramona books.
Sponsors
D.E.A.R. is sponsored by the National Education Association (NEA); Parent Teacher Association (PTA); Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC); Reading Rockets; The General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC); the American Press Institute; First Book; HarperCollins Children’s Books; Read Kiddo Read; Walden Media and Ramona Quimby
Professional Learning Resources
Resurrecting Drop Everything And Read
This post from KQ explores a beloved tradition with new twists. Hannah Byrd Little shares current research about the literacy and mental health benefits of reading as well as practices she has implemented in her school to encourage reading culture.
D.E.A.R. Time: Don’t Even Attempt to Read
While a D.E.A.R. experience can be planned with a heart of celebration and joy, it is also important for educators to critically look at independent reading practices in their schools.
Effective 5- to 7-Minute Reading Conferences
Reading conferencing or conferring is an important part of any independent reading time. Read this blog post by Jennifer Serravallo at MiddleWeb offering a practical guide for classroom implementation.
Compliment Conferences
In this video, Jennifer Serravallo models three 90-second compliment conferences.
Beverly Cleary
If your students are big fans of Beverly Cleary, then check out the resources that the Beverly Cleary site has for you. Since Beverly Cleary’s birthday is DEAR Day, what a perfect site to use with your students! It also has student engagement ideas.
Learner Engagement Resources
Drop Everything and Read Day (D.E.A.R)
Reading Rockets embraces a Ramona Quimby theme with this list of resources including journaling, character analysis, writing prompts, and more.
Today is D.E.A.R. Day!
Read Write Think from the NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) shares ideas of how to celebrate D.E.A.R. including a family read aloud, journaling, and retelling stories.
DEAR Student Activities
Beanstack provides some free templates to help generate some student excitement around DEAR day.
Book Lists
Elementary Spring 2025 Books
Take a look at the spring 2025 books that Kirkus is recommending for elementary students.
NYT Picture Books of 2026
The New York Times puts together the ten most popular picture books for 2026. This list was updated March 2026. You can also look at the other age lists for inspiration.
NYT Let Us Help You Find Your Next Book- Children’s
The New York Times has put together read alike books for favorite authors. This list was updated March 2026.
NYT Teen Reads of 2026
The New York Times lists the staff picks for teenagers of 2026 books.
The Most Anticipated Books of 2026
Read Brightly provides top newly released books of 2026 for middle grade readers. You can also look at the other age lists for inspiration.
