Mom starts literary treasure hunt to encourage kids to read. They then re-hide books for others to find

A literary treasure hunt in the New South Wales town of Braidwood will never come to an end, thanks to a mom who started this tradition of hiding children's books in unlikely places and encouraged others to do the same. Kids find a book in a plastic bag, they can take it home to read, write their names in it and then re-hide it or pass it on to a friend, according to ABC News Australia.

The books can be found anywhere from shop windows, and parks to around the streets. Earlier the tradition was for children to look for painted rocks in their neighborhood. Samantha Dixon, a mother of 5, decided to change this tradition after seeing community Facebook pages of other countries. "We had a bookshelf full of books the children had already read," she said. She thought that books would be more useful for children than rocks. Dixon has five children but is also a foster carer. 

By starting this new tradition, she wanted kids to have time away from technology. Dixon said, "I enjoy the fact these books are being read and are not just being left on the shelves and that kids are outside finding them not on screens." The plastic bag that usually kids find has a sheet that says, “You are the lucky finder of this book. Read it, enjoy it, and then rehide it for someone else to enjoy. Please reuse this bag. “Add your name inside the cover and let’s see how many can find it!”

There is a Facebook page called, "Braidwood hidden books" where parents update the books that they have hidden in the town and also the ones that their kids recently found. A member wrote, “We are passing through from Campbelltown and found this while we were waiting for our lunch. Matilda had a flick through and rehid it on our way back to the car. Thanks for providing such a great and fun idea!” 

Talking about books, in another story, a refugee who fled from Iran due to religious persecution, asked for a book to read during an interview with The Observer in November 2022. Ali said, "There is nothing to do. Nothing happens. All I want is an actual book to read but there are none here and there is no way I can afford them." He was stranded in a hotel in Berkshire, England, for 500 days.

People were so moved by his story that many of them decided to send him books or book tokens. Moreover, the University of Reading provided him with a pass to its library. The University also wanted to give him admission to a program. Ali was thankful for the response he received since sharing his story. "English people are very kind and I received lots of lovely messages, it was an amazing feeling for me. I really appreciate it. I've also received some books that are great, at least I have something to do," he said.

Talking about his life in Iran, he said, "I had the best lifestyle. The best work, my own office. I had my job, my house, and a luxury car, but sometimes, in life, everything changes suddenly and there is no option except leaving everything behind and just going."