Tag: Bookbug

Muirhouse Library’s on the move!

Library will deliver services across North Edinburgh

Good News Everyone!

As you all may know, the library is closed and due to be demolished/rebuilt as part of a new community hub (more details in the link below).

https://northedinburgharts.co.uk/development/

We have been working away at securing a place for us to operate a library while we are waiting for our shiny new building and we can finally announce that we will be opening a new Library lending service based in the Edinburgh College Granton Campus, where you will be able to get Borrow Books, Hearing Aid Batteries, NEC Card Applications, Food waste bags, internet access and of course, see our smiley faces again!

Dates for opening have yet to be finalised, but more info on that will follow very soon.

We will also be start delivering activities again in various locations throughout the community.

Bookbug sessions will be the first to resume on 7th September at West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre.

Places will be limited and a booking system will be operating.

Keep an eye out here for more info of other activities.

We are so happy that we will back in the community again after such a long time away and look forward to see you all very soon!

Muirhouse Library team

Star of West Lothian nursery wins Bookbug Hero Award

Scottish Book Trust, the national charity changing lives through reading and writing, has announced that the recipient of the 2021 Bookbug Hero Award is Kylie Watt, Nursery Practitioner at Longridge Nursery, West Lothian.

Nominated by her colleagues, Kylie has been recognised for dedicating her working career of over 20 years to children and early years education.

The Bookbug Hero Award was announced during Bookbug Week, an annual celebration of Scotland’s national book-gifting programme and Song and Rhyme Sessions.

This year’s theme is Bookbug’s Big Splash, and events include: a brilliant story and craft and session from Bookbug Week illustrator Helen Kellock, and an online Splish Splash Bookbug Session (this will open in a new window)via Facebook. The full programme can be viewed here, and events will be available to watch on demand.

Bookbug has been central to the nursery’s inclusive and nurturing approach as they returned after a prolonged lockdown due to COVID-19.

Kylie’s work helped transition the children back into the nursery environment and also helped make parents feel involved and valued. She delivered reading sessions in small groups, using books to introduce and consolidate learning objectives such as exploring and recognising rhyme, counting syllables in words, letter recognition, story sequences and retelling the story.

The stories also linked in with health and wellbeing, supporting children in their return to nursery. Kylie’s sessions explored emotions and feelings to enable children to express their own during a difficult transitional period of settling into the new routine of COVID-19 nursery life.

Kylie has been praised for using Bookbug as a consistent point of involvement and contact for parents, to build a bridge between the home and nursery setting. She has equipped the parents with information on how to use Bookbug Bags well and spend quality reading and bonding time with their children. She also maintained online communication with parents during the pandemic.

The nursery also uses a self-developed book-borrowing scheme, which became more important than ever with the closure of libraries during the pandemic. Kylie has provided parents with resources so they are able to explore and address many issues with their children that they may have been anxious about or lacked the knowledge or skills to discuss at a stage appropriate level.

These resources supported the parent-child bond by dealing with events cooperatively and holistically in a method that a child can comprehend. Kylie also fostered a nursery bedtime read initiative as an addition to the Bookbug Explorer Bag gifting.

The Bookbug Hero Award is run in association with Walker Books and seeks to honour someone working with Bookbug who has used the programme to make a real difference to the lives of the young children, families and the communities they work with. As the winner of the Bookbug Hero Award, Kylie will receive a bundle of picture books worth £500 from Walker Books.

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “Congratulations to Kylie Watt on winning the 2021 Bookbug Hero Award. In an especially difficult year, Kylie has gone above and beyond to support the children of Longridge Nursery, their parents and her colleagues.

“It is wonderful to hear how Bookbug has been used to assist transition back into the nursery, and how a strong reading culture has supported the young people’s health and wellbeing. Our thanks to Walker Books for sponsoring this important award.”

Kylie Watt said: “I am so proud to be announced as the winner of the Bookbug Hero Award. It was a lovely surprise that my colleagues and parents from Longridge Nursery Class nominated me and gave me recognition for doing a job that I love.

“The award confirms that what I am doing to promote literacy development within our early year’s setting is having a positive impact on our families and children.

“Bookbug Explorer Bags have been an important part of promoting a love of books and the book bags have really helped us on our literacy journey because they give all children the opportunity to access high quality children’s literature and literacy resources.”

Kayleigh Brand, parent, said: “Mrs Watt is an amazing member of staff at Longridge Nursery. She is loved by both the children she helps and teaches, and also by the parents. She always goes above and beyond for the kids, making sure they get every opportunity to practice in multiple activities, such as the Bookbug Bags and big book reading packs they get weekly.

“She also makes sure the parents are aware of what is going on, even in these difficult times. Mrs Watt is an amazing asset to the nursery and deserves to be rewarded or all of her hard work!”

Miss Harte, staff at Longridge Nursery said: “Kylie is fabulous. Her commitment to ensuring each child gets a pack of stories at the Bookbug event and each week with her lending library is second to none.

“When it’s Book Week Scotland, she always comes up with a new and inventive way to engage the children with stories and makes it exciting for the staff team to be involved.”

Jane Winterbotham, Publishing Director at Walker Books, said: “We’re thrilled to be a part of the Bookbug Hero Award, helping to recognise the individuals who go above and beyond to support their community and engender a lifelong love of stories.

“Huge congratulations to Kylie for this well-deserved recognition of her skills and passion!”

The panel for the Bookbug Hero Award included:

  • Scottish Book Trust staff
  • Chae Strathie, Children’s author
  • Dr Suzanne Zeedyk, Honorary Fellow, University of Dundee Founder of connected Baby
  • Neil Mathers, Chief Executive, Children’s University Scotland
  • Udita Banerjee, Head of Visibility and Inclusion at Families Outside
  • Myra Mains, Bookbug Co-ordinator and Bookbug Hero Award Winner 2020

Those highly commended for the Bookbug Hero Award included:

David Murray, Mobile Library Driver at South Ayrshire Libraries (South Ayrshire)

David impacted every baby and toddler in South Ayrshire as he volunteered to deliver the Bookbug Bags throughout lockdown. David’s initiative and willingness to help meant South Ayrshire was able to meet its commitment to deliver Bookbug Bags to every child throughout lockdown.

Shona Macmillan and Lindy Cameron Saunders, Development Officer and Gaelic Development Officer at Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn (Western Isles)

Shona and Lindy have gone above and beyond what was expected of them delivering English and Gaelic Bookbug Sessions to families living in rural areas on the Isle of Lewis. Mairi Graham, parent said: “Shona and Lindy’s sessions were a lifesaver for us during lockdown, having just had a newborn, it was a great activity to keep both a baby and two year entertained.”

Nina Greenoak, Bookbug Session Leader Volunteer (West Dunbartonshire)

Nina is a mum who at the start of lockdown set up a Bookbug Zoom Facebook group delivering Bookbug Sessions to a community of over 270 families on a weekly basis. Nina’s enthusiasm and encouragement provided invaluable support to families with songs, stories and rhymes for them to enjoy together at home.

The shortlist for the Bookbug Hero Award included:

  • Julia Lawrie Morrison, Bookbug Session Leader Volunteer at The Childlike Reader (Aberdeenshire)
  • Joolz Christie, Library Assistant at Dingwall Library (Highland)
  • Diane Ireland, Customer Services Advisor at Windmill Library (Fife)
  • Debbie Smilies, Community Early Years Practitioner at Highland Council (Highland)
  • Teresa Argent, Early Years Officer at Bowhouse Early Learning Centre (Falkirk)
  • Nikki Kirkwood, Senior Early Years officer at Easter Carmuirs School (Falkirk

Two Edinburgh authors feature in 2021 Bookbug Picture Book Prize

Scottish Book Trust, the national charity transforming lives through reading and writing, has today announced the shortlist for the 2021 Bookbug Picture Book Prize. Now in its fifth year, the shortlist includes Morag Hood, Ross Collins and Zoë Ingram.

The award was established to celebrate the most popular picture books by Scottish authors and illustrators and to encourage reading for pleasure.

The winner is chosen by thousands of children across the country who can cast their votes online either at school with their teacher or at home with their families, via the Scottish Book Trust website.

THE BOOKBUG PICTURE BOOK PRIZE 2021 SHORTLIST IS:

  • Brenda is a Sheep by Morag Hood (Two Hoots)
  • This is a Dog by Ross Collins (Nosy Crow)
  • My First Book of Birds illustrated by Zoë Ingram (Walker Books)

Morag Hood and Zoë Ingram are both from Edinburgh, while Ross Collins is from Glasgow.

The 2021 shortlist features Brenda who believes she is a sheep but is different from her fluffy friends; a dog that steals the show and plans to keep it that way, and an illustrated spotter’s guide that is an ideal introduction to garden birds.

Families can watch the books being read aloud here.

The winner of the Bookbug Picture Book Prize will be announced in an exclusive video to all registered groups on Thursday 4 March 2021 (World Book Day).

The winner will receive a specially commissioned trophy and £2,000 while shortlisted authors and illustrators receive £500 per book.

62,000 pupils across Scotland will receive a free copy of each of the three books on the shortlist, which are given to every Primary 1 child during Book Week Scotland (16 November – 22 November), in the Bookbug P1 Family Bag.

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “It’s always a delight to see familiar faces on the Bookbug Picture Book Prize, which was established to celebrate the work of great authors and illustrators in Scotland.

“We hope families across the country will enjoy reading these books together, and vote for the one they enjoy most.”

Alan Bett, Literature Officer at Creative Scotland, said: “The Bookbug Picture Book Prize promotes reading for enjoyment and engages young readers, not only through a fantastic shortlist of titles, but also by empowering them with the decision to choose the winner. Congratulations to all the shortlisted authors and illustrators.”

The deadline for voting is Friday 5 February at 5pm.

Bookbug Hero Award searches for Early Years champion

Scottish Book Trust has announced that nominations for the Bookbug Hero Award 2021 are now open.

Run in association with Walker Books, the award aims to honour someone working with Bookbug who has used the programme to make a real difference to the lives of the young children, families and communities they work with.

Scottish Book Trust is asking people across the country to nominate a librarian, early years worker, volunteer, health visitor, or anyone who uses Bookbug in their work. The winner will receive a special trophy and a bundle of picture books worth £500 from Walker Books.

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “It’s fitting to open nominations for the Bookbug Hero Award on International Literacy Day, as the Bookbug programme aims to support speech and language development through songs and rhymes.

“There are many fantastic Bookbug practitioners working across Scotland inspiring the next generation of readers and writers. Our thanks to Walkers Books for supporting the prize and allowing us to celebrate their work.”

Myra Mains, winner of the Bookbug Hero Award 2020, said: “I was overwhelmed but absolutely delighted to receive the very first Bookbug Hero Award.

“I have loved being involved with the Bookbug programme since it started in 2010. Sharing stories, songs and rhymes is fun but Bookbug is so much more than fun and having the opportunity to help share the many benefits to families is so rewarding in itself!

Bookbug is definitely a team effort and it’s an absolute joy to be part of Bookbug’s extended family!”

Jane Winterbotham, Publishing Director at Walker Books said: “We really appreciate all that Bookbug and the heroes who run the programmes do for communities and we are really pleased that we can continue to show our appreciation and support of that work by sponsoring the award.

“We love that it shines a light on those practitioners who champion reading, and work tirelessly to change lives through stories and can’t wait to hear more about the next winner!”

Nominations for the Bookbug Hero Award can be made online via Scottish Book Trust’s website. 

The closing date for nominations is Friday 30 October 2020.

Three free books for Scotland’s P1s

book-2

As part of Book Week Scotland 2016, the national celebration of reading taking place between 21 and 27 November, Scottish Book Trust will gift three free picture books to every Primary 1 child in Scotland.

The books, all by Scottish authors or illustrators, will be gifted in the Bookbug Primary 1 Family Bag and children will receive this year’s shortlisted books for the book Bookbug Picture Book Prize.  The titles include: There’s a Bear on My Chair by Ross Collins, Hare and Tortoise by Alison Murray and Shark in the Park on a Windy Day by Nick Sharratt.

Also included in the Bookbug bag will be an activity booklet full of games and fun things to do, along with a voting slip to enable children to declare which of the three picture books is their favourite.

Marc Lambert, Chief Executive of Scottish Book Trust, said: “The beginning of school is the point at which books start to become associated with learning in a child’s mind. The Bookbug Primary 1 Family Bag has been designed to show children how pleasurable and fun reading can be. The intention is to help them to get more out of school and inspire them to seek out and devour more books.”

For more information about Book Week Scotland 2016, visit www.bookweekscotland.com, where you can find information about all the events taking place in your local area, vote for your favourite Scottish book to screen adaptation, take part in a  #ReadingDare and discover a whole host of resources and ideas to help you celebrate and share whatever it is you love to read. 

Initiated by the Scottish Government and supported, along with a Readers in Residence programme in libraries, by £200,000 from Creative Scotland, Book Week Scotland will be delivered by Scottish Book Trust. Book Week Scotland in libraries is funded byThe Scottish Library and Information Council. 

 

 

Meet Halle – Edinburgh’s youngest bookworm!

‘Libraries are often the hub of a local community’ – Cabinet Secretary for Culture Fiona Hyslop

Mum Kirstin Elliot, Leith Library team leader Sandra Wright, dad Martin Edwards and baby Halle.
Mum Kirstin Elliot, Leith Library team leader Sandra Wright, dad Martin Edwards and baby Halle.

She may be too young to read, but Halle Edwards has become Edinburgh’s youngest library member – at the tender age of three weeks! Continue reading Meet Halle – Edinburgh’s youngest bookworm!

Reading’s right for our preschool children

Study reveals growing popularity of using books with very young children

read

Hundreds more parents and carers in Scotland are using books to play, read to and engage with their very young children, according to a major Scottish Government-funded study carried about by ScotCen Social Research.

Growing Up in Scotland (GUS) – which has followed the lives of two groups of children from across Scotland for the last 10 years – shows a significant increase in the number of parents and carers who use books when engaging with their children at the age of 10 months.

Extensive research has highlighted the positive impact of reading to children in their pre-school years. Previously published GUS data has shown that children who are frequently read to in the first year of life score higher in assessments of cognitive ability at age 3-4.

The PlayTalkRead campaign was launched by the Scottish Government in 2009. It aims to encourage parents and carers to play, talk and read with their children from birth to boost their development and learning. The campaign uses advertising and social media and provides free items to support parents with the website receiving more than 130,000 visits in 2014-15. The roadshow features three buses which travel across Scotland delivering face-to-face sessions to parents and carers, offering them advice and support.

The Scottish Government-funded scheme Bookbug, which promotes reading to children, including babies, launched in 2010.

A new paper published to the mark the 10th birthday of the landmark GUS study shows that the number of parents and carers using books when their child was 10 months old grew from 66% before the launch of Bookbug to 69% after the start of the scheme – the equivalent of more than 1700 babies being read to every year.

It will be published at an event at Edinburgh University tomorrow.

Children’s Minister Aileen Campbell said: “Improving literacy in our children and young people is a key priority for this Government and we know that learning begins long before school.

“Therefore it is extremely heartening to learn that hundreds more parents and carers across Scotland have embraced the crucial role books can play in helping children to develop and acquire important pre-school skills and attributes such as speaking, a sense of curiosity and a life-long love of books.

“In June this year we committed a further £2.7 million for pre-school programmes to improve literacy in children. This included the record-breaking PlayTalkRead campaign – whose website and outreach buses attracted 160,000 visits in 2014 and book gifting scheme Bookbug. We are also piloting plans to make every child in Scotland a member of their local library.

“Such valuable work, combined with the good progress reflected in the GUS report, leaves me in no doubt that the number of parents and carers using books to give their children the best start in life, will only continue to grow.”

‘Tackling Inequalities in the Early Years: Key Messages from 10 years of the Growing Up in Scotland study’ will be published in full on Tuesday, October 6.

City authors dominate Children’s Book Awards shortlist

FREE TO USE - Scottish Children’s Book Awards shortlist is announced.

Edinburgh-based authors have dominated the shortlist for the 2016 Scottish Children’s Book Awards, with four out of the nine shortlisted authors hailing from the city.

Emily MacKenzie, Elizabeth Laird, Danny Weston and Joan Lingard are all up for the prestigious awards, which celebrate the most popular children’s and young adult books by Scottish authors or illustrators.

Run by Scottish Book Trust with support from Creative Scotland, they are Scotland’s largest book awards with a total prize fund of £12,000 – the nine shortlisted authors and illustrators receive £500 per book, and the three winning books receive £3,000 each.

Emily MacKenzie, who lives in the New Town and studied Graphic Design at Edinburgh College of Art, has been shortlisted in the Bookbug Readers (3-7 yrs) category for her debut picture book Wanted! Ralfy Rabbit Book Burglar, published by Bloomsbury.

She was recently shortlisted for The Independent Bookshop Week Children’s Picture Book Award and her second book, Stanley The Amazing Knitting Cat will be published by Bloomsbury in January 2016.

Commenting on her nomination, Emily said: “I was absolutely over the moon when I found out that Ralfy had been shortlisted for the Scottish Children’s Book Awards!

“The book has had such a warm response from teachers, librarians and the children I’ve read it to so far which has been really lovely, but the idea that a further 64,000 P1 children starting school in Scotland this year will receive a copy of it to enjoy and hopefully help them on to a path of loving reading and books as much as I do, blows my mind. It’s a dream come true and Ralfy and I want to say a big thank you to Scottish Book Trust for all their support!”

A free copy of Emily’s book will be gifted to every Primary 1 child during Book Week Scotland, in the Bookbug P1 Family Bag, along with copies of the two other shortlisted books in the Bookbug category.

This bag was produced by Scottish Book Trust in conjunction with Education Scotland and the Scottish Government as part of Read, Write, Count – a new literacy and numeracy campaign aimed at children in Primary 1 to 3.

Elizabeth Laird, based in the Old Town, has been shortlisted in the Younger Readers (8-11 yrs) category for her book The Fastest Boy in the World, published by Macmillan.

Elizabeth, who has previously appeared on the 2008 and 2010 Scottish Children’s Book Awards shortlists, is an award-winning author of children’s fiction and travel. She has written over 30 books for children and has been shortlisted five times for the CILIP Carnegie Medal, including for The Fastest Boy in the World this year. She has been nominated by UK IBBY for the international Hans Christian Anderson Award, and her new novel, Dindy and the Elephant, was published in June. Elizabeth now lives with her husband, splitting their time between London and Edinburgh.

Elizabeth said: “It’s a thrill and an honour to be shortlisted for the Scottish Children’s Book Award. ‘The Fastest Boy in the World’ is an Ethiopian lad called Solomon, who dreams of joining the ranks of the great African running champions. Now, thanks to this lovely award, he’ll be running all the way round Scotland. Go Solomon!”

Danny Weston, who lives in Tollcross, has been shortlisted in the Older Readers (12-16 yrs) category for his book The Piper, published by Andersen.

He has published three novels (under the name Philip Caveney) with Edinburgh-based publisher Fledgling Press. These are time travel adventures, all set in Edinburgh at different points in its history. The first book Crow Boy is set in Mary Kings Close, Seventeen Coffins is all about the tiny coffins found on Arthur’s Seat in 1836 and the most recent book,One For Sorrow, is all about Robert Louis Stevenson.

In the New Year, Fledgling will be bringing out The Calling – a novel featuring all the statues in Edinburgh. The Piper was also recently shortlisted for the North East Book Award.

Commenting on his nomination, Danny said: “I was surprised and delighted to hear that I had been shortlisted for this prestigious prize. At a time when the importance of literacy seems to be increasingly challenged, prizes like this mean more than ever to authors like me.”

Joan Lingard, who lives in Edinburgh’s New Town, has been shortlisted in the Older Readers (12-16 yrs) category for her novel Trouble on Cable Street, published by Catnip.

Joan has been a published writer for young people and adults for over 40 years and is best known for the Kevin and Sadie books, set in Northern Ireland at the time of the troubles there.

Her popular Elfie and Joe trilogy began when she discovered that her grandfather had run a pub in Stoke Newington in London and she started to research that area around the turn of the 19th Century when he and his wife lived there.

Following a conversation with a friend about the period between the first and second world wars, Joan began to research the impact of the Fascist movement in London in the 1930s, and the parallel conflict in Spain.

Joan said: “I’m delighted that Trouble on Cable Street has been shortlisted for the Scottish Children’s Book Awards. I have been writing for young people for over 40 years and I am always pleased to know that readers are enjoying my books.

“I enjoyed writing this book very much. It is set in a fascinating, unsettled time in Britain’s history – and European history – and the more I read about what happened in the 1930s the more I found parallels with some of the problems we’re facing today, eight decades later.

“In 1936 the communities of the East End of London rallied to stop a march by Oswald Mosley and the British Union of Fascists. They clashed with the police in Cable Street and the march was eventually stopped, but many people were injured in the fighting.

“I always enjoy writing strong characters, and once I’d settled on Isabella and her two brothers their story fell into place against the backdrop of London in those difficult times.”

FREE TO USE - Scottish Children’s Book Awards shortlist is announced.

THE FULL SCOTTISH CHILDREN’S BOOK AWARDS 2016 SHORTLIST: 

Bookbug Readers (3-7 years)

  • Never Tickle a Tiger by Pamela Butchart and Marc Boutavant (Bloomsbury)
  • Wanted! Ralfy Rabbit Book Burglar by Emily MacKenzie (Bloomsbury)
  • Mouse’s First Night at Moonlight School by Simon Puttock and Ali Pye (Nosy Crow).

Younger Readers (8-11 years)

  • The Nowhere Emporium by Ross Mackenzie (Floris)
  • The Mysteries of Ravenstorm Island: The Lost Children by Gillian Philip (Orchard)
  • The Fastest Boy in the World by Elizabeth Laird (Macmillan)

Older Readers (12-16 years)

  • Black Dove White Raven by Elizabeth Wein (Egmont)
  • The Piper by Danny Weston (the pseudonym of Philip Caveney) (Andersen)
  • Trouble on Cable Street by Joan Lingard (Catnip) 

Over the next five months, children the length and breadth of Scotland will be reading the three shortlisted books in their age category and voting for their favourite.

The voting deadline is 5 February 2016. The three winning books will be announced at a special award ceremony on 4 March 2016. 

Jasmine Fassl, Head of Schools at Scottish Book Trust, said: “The Scottish Children’s Book Awards are a perfect way to celebrate Scotland’s talented authors and illustrators, while also helping participating children to develop an independent love of books and reading.

“Hundreds of schools and libraries from literally every corner of Scotland involve tens of thousands of children in reading and reviewing the shortlisted books every year, proof of both the eagerness of Scottish young people to make their voice heard and of the quality of the shortlisted books.”

Leonie Bell, Director of Creative Development at Creative Scotland, added: “The Scottish Children’s Book Awards is a hugely successfully programme that celebrates children’s and young adult literature while also encouraging reading in children across Scotland.

“The fact that the winners are selected exclusively by children makes this an extra special award to win.  By taking an active role in choosing the vote they are taking steps in their journeys as independent readers.

“This is a fantastic shortlist and we encourage young people across Scotland to get involved.  We look forward to finding out who they choose as this year’s winners.”

The Scottish Children’s Book Awards also encourage budding authors or journalists to put pen to paper: the popular Book Review Competition offers pupils the chance to win book tokens, sponsored by Waterstones, and an author visit for their school.

Aspiring film makers can enter the book trailer competition to showcase their digital talents and win book tokens for their school. Scottish Book Trust provides extensive learning resources for teachers on how to create book trailers.

CALL Scotland has again worked with Scottish Book Trust and the publishers to create accessible digital versions of the nine shortlisted books for children and young people with physical, visual and reading or dyslexic difficulties, who can’t read the paper books. The accessible digital versions of the shortlisted books are available free of charge from CALL Scotland.

You can request books by going to http://www.callscotland.org.uk/Home/.

 Pictures: Rob McDougall