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Book club marks red-letter day
STORY TIME ... Coun Tracey Dixon, back right, marks the 20th anniversary of Bookstart with Sarah Pattinson, Poppy, two, and Robyn, 14 months, and the blue Bookstart Bear.
BOROUGH bookworms helped celebrate 20 years of a scheme to get youngsters reading.
The Bookstart programme encourages parents and carers to spend more time reading, sharing and enjoying books with their children from a very young age.
Since it began two decades ago, about 30 million free books have been gifted to babies across the UK.
As part of year-long anniversary celebrations, an event was held at Central Library in South Shields for youngsters, parents and carers.
The children had previously earned a Gold Bookstart Book Crawl certificate by regularly borrowing library books. Book Crawl has since been updated with the new Bookstart Bear Club.
The youngsters enjoyed crafts with the blue Bookstart Bear as well as stories and rhymes, while parents took the opportunity to sign the Bookstart 20 pledge – a promise to share 20 books with youngsters throughout the year.
Coun Tracey Dixon, lead member for leisure and community safety at South Tyneside Council, said: “It’s never too early to introduce children to stories, and our libraries are an ideal place to start.
“They have a fantastic range of books to borrow, and host a number of events and activities where they can learn and meet other youngsters.
“The routine of sharing books, stories, songs and rhymes with babies helps to build pre-literacy skills, and provides a unique opportunity for parents and carers to build a strong and loving bond with their children.
“Making the pledge is a simple way for people to get into the habit of reading with their children while showing their support for this wonderful programme.”
Signed pledges will be sent to Bookstart. Parents can show their support with pledge postcards at all South Tyneside libraries.
Among celebrities pledging their support are Stephen Hepburn MP, 2009 X Factor winner Joe McElderry and children’s author, Jan Fearnley, originally from South Shields, but now living in London.
Twitter: @ShieldsGazJoe
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Wednesday 23 May 2012
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