Warwickshire Libraries are once again running the national Summer Reading Challenge initiative to keep children reading over the summer.For over 20 years, the Summer Reading Challenge has been enco...
Warwickshire Libraries are once again running the national Summer Reading Challenge initiative to keep children reading over the summer.
For over 20 years, the Summer Reading Challenge has been encouraging children aged 4 to 11 to enjoy the benefits of reading for pleasure over the summer holidays, providing lots of fun as well as preventing the summer reading ‘dip’.
This year, the Summer Reading Challenge is primarily in a new digital format with the theme of ‘Silly Squad’, to celebrate funny books, happiness and laughter.
Warwickshire Libraries are also excited to be supporting the very first national Reading Together Day on Thursday 16th July, which invites children and families across the UK to take part in a celebration of the magical world of stories and the power of shared reading.
The aim of day is to bring families, friends, schools and wider communities together to share stories and have fun! There will be a number of sessions organised by Authors Aloud UK through the day with authors for a wide range of ages from pre-school to adults, including Ben Miller, Cathy Cassidy and Anthony McGowan.
In recognition of the impact that Covid-19 has had on schools and libraries, the 2020 Summer Reading Challenge will not only support parents and carers with children at home and offer schools exciting ways to encourage their pupils remotely, but it will also provide great reading content for children who are already back in the classroom.
In addition to the new digital materials that are available to everyone this year, Warwickshire Libraries have sent out the collector wallets and stickers to 25 schools across the county that have signed up to receive them, to give to pupils wishing to sign up for the Challenge whose families are not online at home.
Children taking part in the Summer Reading Challenge, which features bespoke artwork from award-winning children’s author and illustrator Laura Ellen Anderson (Amelia Fang; Evil Emperor Penguin), will join the ‘Silly Squad’, an adventurous team of animals who love to have a laugh and get stuck into all sorts of funny books!
This year’s designated Summer Reading Challenge website – www.sillysquad.org.uk - is free to access and features games, quizzes and downloadable activities that incentivise and encourage children to take part in reading related activities. Parents need to sign up their children online to enable them to register for the Challenge and participate fully. This year children set their own Challenge target of books read, and they can read anything, including comics, or maybe read a book to a sibling.
Warwickshire Libraries will deliver the Summer Reading Challenge through its virtual services and e-lending platforms, and a new ‘Click and Collect’ service means people can now pre-order books online free of charge at http://library.warwickshire.gov.uk and pick them up from selected library locations at a pre-arranged time.
You can visit https://library.warwickshire.gov.uk to find out about the ‘Click and Collect’ service and how children can access eBooks and audiobooks through the BorrowBox loan app, and comics and magazines free through the RB Digital service, so they can complete the Challenge at home this year.
Warwickshire Libraries have also commissioned some talented poets and storytellers to do ‘silly’ sessions online for young people, while they are unable to offer activities in our libraries. Watch the Warwickshire Libraries website, social media and weekly e-newsletter for details of these.
Each year the Challenge motivates over 700,000 children to keep reading to build their skills and confidence. In Warwickshire some 3,500 children take part each year. Warwickshire Libraries hope they can match that this year via the website and schools supporting those without online access at home.
Councillor Kam Kaur, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Customer & Transformation, said:
“Our Warwickshire Libraries staff really enjoy running the national Summer Reading Challenge every year, but understandably the Challenge will be a little bit different this year for libraries and children all over the country.
“However, it is more important than ever that we encourage young children to use their time while they are at home to read for pleasure, and that they continue to do so as we enter the traditional school summer holidays.
“Books, comics and all sorts of publications can still be borrowed digitally and read for free using apps like BorrowBox and the PressReader service, simply by using your Warwickshire Libraries membership. Children’s books will also be available to pre-order with our ‘Click and Collect’ service.
“I’m also very pleased that Warwickshire Libraries will be supplying families that aren’t online at home with joining packs, through their schools.
“The Summer Reading Challenge and Reading Together Day will hopefully encourage a love of reading that will last a lifetime.”
All you need to access services like BorrowBox and PressReader for free are your library card number and email address.
If you’re not already a member you can join online, visit https://library.warwickshire.gov.uk/ and click ‘Join Online’. Warwickshire Libraries will send you your membership number and then you can get started straight away!