Someone had an idea for a lovely new tradition for December. It’s “Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day”, and it happens this Saturday in bookstores all across America. “On December 7th, 2013, take a child in your life to a bookstore,” explains its official web site. “Watch his face light up as you give him free access, not just to a new book, but to tomorrow.”

That’s a quote from author Jenny Milchman, the event’s founder and an author of suspense novels who’s enjoyed doing promotions in bookstores . She’s one of four people on the team for the event, but there’s more than 600 different bookstores participating, according to an article in Publisher’s Weekly. “Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day has grown exponentially since 80 bookstores first promoted it in 2010,” they point out. Milchman is even considering adding a second day (not so close to the Christmas shopping season) — and creating a nonprofit organization to spend the whole year encouraging parents to take their children to bookstores.

It’s hard to quibble with the group’s mission, since so much of it is based on the joy of reading — and the special experience that’s provided by bookstores. “The unique pleasure that comes with being in a treasure trove of books, communion and collaboration with a bookseller who has made this their life’s work, and the feeling of investment that comes when a book is discovered and taken home to keep…”

“A book of one’s own, and a bookstore of one’s own. That’s what we’re about at Take Your Child to a Bookstore Day.”