Local MP Mark Pawsey encouraging primary school children in Rugby and Bulkington to take part in The Reading Agency’s Summer Reading Challenge.
The Challenge launches across England and Wales on Saturday 9 July. Taking part in the Challenge, with free packs from public libraries and through the digital platform, children will join six fictional ‘Gadgeteers.’ The characters, brought to life by children’s writer and illustrator Julian Beresford, use their curiosity and wonder to understand the science behind a whole range of interests from fashion and technology to cooking and music.
The Challenge and its innovation-themed book collection will show that imagination can unlock endless possibilities, and the library is where this starts. This list includes numerous options spanning picture books, early reader books and middle grade titles by leading authors and illustrators.
Taking part in the Summer Reading Challenge helped children to enjoy reading more, feel more confident about reading and ‘feel better’ during a tough period. Family use of libraries also increased amongst Challenge participants, with more than 130,000 children joining the library as new members.
The digital Summer Reading Challenge platform will encourage children with limited physical access to the library to take part in the Challenge.
Speaking about the Summer Reading Challenge, Mark said:
“Encouraging children, particularly those in primary school, to continue to develop their reading skills over the summer is vital for their confidence and preventing a ‘dip’ whilst they are out of school. That’s why initiatives such as the summer reading challenge are so important as it provides free-to-access and fun learning resources available through our much-loved public libraries. I was provided two books as part of this challenge which have been donated to Rugby Library which I hope that local youngsters will enjoy reading over the summer.”
Mark continued:
“It was great to meet with representatives of The Reading Agency in Parliament and see for myself some of the books and tools available through the Summer Reading Challenge. As a parent, I know how important encouraging reading is particularly when children are out of school. I hope that Rugby Library, like libraries across the country, will be visited by many children over the holidays to take part in the Summer Reading Challenge.”
For more information, visit www.summerreadingchallenge.org.uk.