Edinburgh City Libraries are supporting ITV Good Morning Britain’s ‘Just Read’ campaign, to encourage parents and carers to spend ten minutes reading with their children every day.
The campaign, which is supported by national charity The Reading Agency and children’s publisher Puffin, will see 200 libraries across the UK, including five Edinburgh libraries, give away 50 free copies of the bestselling children’s book ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ by author Jeff Kinney this Saturday (13 September).
Children can visit Edinburgh’s Wester Hailes, Ratho, Fountainbridge, Moredun or Kirkliston Libraries to get their free copy.
As well as the giveaway, children who visit the libraries on Saturday 13 September will be able to enjoy other events on the day:
· Ratho Library will welcome well known author Jonathan Meres to the children’s library for a visit at 11am. Meres won the “Scottish Children’s Book Award 2012” and is the author of the bestselling ‘World of Norm’ teenage book series.
· Fountainbridge Library will also be having a visit from author Jonathan Meres at 2:30pm.
· Wester Hailes Library will welcome author Janis Mackay to the children’s library for a visit at 2.30pm. Mackay was awarded the “Kelpies Prize 2007” and is the author of the ‘Magnus Finn’ children’s trilogy as well as ‘The Wee Seal’ and ‘The Selkie Girl’ for younger readers.
· Kirkliston Library is hosting a Wimpy Kid Party for children aged seven to 12 years from 2-4pm. This will be a drop in event, meaning there is no need to book a place. Activities will include designing your own Wimpy Kid book cover, making a badge to take home, and playing the new Wimpy Kid board game.
· Moredun Library is hosting a Diary of a Wimpy Kid fun day from 2-3.30pm. The event will host four different activities for all ages to join in with, from creating your own character clay head and badge making, to Diary of a Wimpy kid mask making and painting, plus a special Diary of a Wimpy Kid treasure hunt around the library.
Councillor Richard Lewis, Convener of Culture & Sport, City of Edinburgh Council, comments: “We are delighted that five of our libraries have been selected to support this UK wide promotion, and we encourage parents and carers to visit participating libraries across Edinburgh to receive free books and enjoy a day out at the same time.”
This exciting campaign follows a wonderful summer of reading across Edinburgh City Libraries when thousands of children took part in the 2014 Summer Reading Challenge. This unique partnership between The Reading Agency and public libraries across the UK, saw MPs, libraries, schools and a host of well-known children’s authors including Jacqueline Wilson and Michael Morpurgo encourage children aged 4-11 to join the library and read for pleasure during the summer holidays.
The campaign comes as a group of leading charities, teachers, parents and businesses join together to form a coalition called Read On, Get On. The coalition has launched a national mission to support parents and teachers to get all 11 year olds reading well by 2025.
The giveaway will highlight how vital libraries are for the nation’s literacy and that books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid can really help children on their reading journey.
The Reading Agency has identified that millions of children are readers because of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Jeff Kinney’s work is perfect for turning reluctant readers on to books. With 50% words and 50% cartoons, the books are described as 100% hilarious and children agree – Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck was voted by children as Favourite Book in the 2014 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards.
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