Join the party for National Bookstart Week
Libraries in Shropshire will be celebrating National Bookstart Week with special events from Monday 11 June 2012 until Sunday 17 June 2012.
In celebration of 20 years of Bookstart, the theme for this year’s activities is ‘parties’. The Bookstart Bear will be joining in with the fun at some of the events. To celebrate, library staff will be baking cakes, blowing balloons and getting all dressed up.
An exclusive booklet, “Busy Bear’s Party”, gorgeously illustrated by John Prater, will be supplied to event attendees, along with other free resources, all of which are also available as free downloads on the Bookstart website www.bookstart.org.uk.
Bookstart aims to help every child in the England, Wales and Northern Ireland to develop a lifelong love of books, offering millions of families the chance to discover the joy of sharing stories, books and rhymes together. Random House Children’s Books are the publishing partner for National Bookstart Week 2012, helping to bring the Bookstart party to as many libraries and early year’s settings as possible. This year, in addition to National Bookstart Week events, Booktrust has been asking families and Bookstart supporters to pledge to share 20 books in 2012, to mark 20 years of Bookstart.
The pledge postcard is available in libraries and children’s centres in England, Northern Ireland and Wales. People can also pledge online at www.booktrust.org.uk/bookstart20.
Over 40 well known faces – including HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, Coleen Rooney, Gruffalo author and Children’s Laureate Julia Donaldson, and War Horse author Michael Morpurgo – have made the pledge to share 20 books. The full list of celebrities can be found at the campaign’s homepage.
Councillor Steve Charmley, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member with responsibility for libraries, said:
“Reading books with your child is one of the most rewarding activities you can share. We are all really excited about the National Bookstart Week parties at our libraries, and look forward to getting into the party spirit to celebrate 20 years of Bookstart.”
People should contact their local library for details of their nearest celebration.
For further information on Bookstart and Booktrust, people can contact Alice Ingall on 020 8875 4827 / alice.ingall@booktrust.org.uk or Will White on 020 8875 4583 / will.white@booktrust.org.uk.
About Bookstart
Bookstart is the national free books programme that encourages all parents and carers to enjoy books with children from as early an age as possible. We want every child in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to develop a lifelong love of books. Bookstart is a public and private partnership and is generously sponsored by children’s book publishers. Central funding is provided through the devolved administration in Wales, the Department of Education in Northern Ireland and the Department for Education in England. Working through councils and primary care trusts, Bookstart offers the gift of free books to all children at two key ages before they start school, to inspire a love of reading that will give children a flying start in life. Bookstart also aims to foster a love of books through a range of fun activities. Parents wishing to receive a pack should speak to their health visitor, local library or children’s centre.
Booktrust is an independent reading and writing charity that makes a nationwide impact on individuals, families and communities, and culture in the UK. Booktrust makes a significant positive contribution to the educational outcomes of children from the earliest age. We work to empower people of all ages and abilities by giving them confidence and choices about reading. And we want individuals of all backgrounds to benefit from the well-being that a rich and positive engagement in reading and writing can bring.
