It is an important reminder from our Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who kicked off the month by declaring March as Reading Month in Michigan.

Of course, we here at a daily newspaper believe every month should be reading month, but we always are pleased to have a special month for reading.

Whitmer declared that throughout the month, schools, children, and adults alike should use this time to promote the importance of reading.

“Every year the country uses this month to promote reading and imagination. I am proud to declare March as Reading Month in Michigan and I encourage everyone to find time to read,” Whitmer said in a press release.

“This month, we should recommit ourselves to encouraging children and young adults to read diverse literary works early and often so they can see themselves and others in what they read.”

We believe everyone can find something of interest to read, be it classic literature, magazines, comic books, biographies and of course, newspapers.

The release went on to state that the governor “is committed to ensuring students and schools have the resources they need to learn and teach safely. That is why, in January, Governor Whitmer proposed her MI COVID Recovery Plan that invests $1.7 billion directly to our schools. She also proposed her FY 2022 executive budget recommendation that makes the largest investment in K-12 schools in Michigan history.”

We hope our legislative and executive branches can work together to come up with a plan that boosts our schools which have struggled most because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The governor’s press release also said a report from Michigan State University and the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative showed that 97% of school districts have met the governor’s goal to get students back to in-person learning by March 1.

Reading is an important building block for a solid education. And it’s fun. So we hope as March begins with a bluster, Michigan citizens begin a flurry of reading.