Tag: books for children

Enterprise Mobility and National Literacy Trust donate over 800 books to children across Edinburgh as book ownership falls to five-year low

  • Children at ten Edinburgh schools will receive copies of Onkyeka and the Academy of the Sun
  • Young people from less advantaged backgrounds twice as likely to not have any books at home
  • Part of larger initiative distributing 25,000 books across the UK

Enterprise Mobility and the National Literacy Trust launch their third year of partnership by donating 820 books to children at 10 schools in Edinburgh. This donation is part of a larger initiative distributing 25,000 books across the UK.

This comes amid findings from the National Literacy Trust that book ownership is at a five-year low among children and young people, with those from less advantaged backgrounds twice as likely to not have any books at home.

Tolá Okogwu’s Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun was chosen for this book drive. This captivating tale featuring a Black protagonist aims to promote diverse representation in children’s literature, allowing young readers to see themselves reflected in the stories they read and providing a glimpse into the lives and experiences of those who may be from different backgrounds.

Accompanying the book donations are free classroom resources and videos hosted by Cbeebies presenter Gyasi Sheppy and actress Sarah Lewis Obuba.

Recipient primary schools in Edinburgh include: Balgreen, Canal View, Clovenstone, Niddrie Mill, Pirniehall, Castleview, Windygoul, Gracemount, Craigour Park and Gilmerton.

Jason Vit, Head of Local Areas at the National Literacy Trust, emphasised the importance of fostering a love for reading among children: “Engaging children in the joy and fun of reading is an essential part of building those key literacy skills that will help them thrive at school, and for the rest of their lives.

“At the National Literacy Trust, we work across the UK in places facing the biggest challenges, including literacy levels. Through our partnership with Enterprise Mobility, we can reach more children who need the most support and fire their imaginations and love of reading with thrilling books like Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun.”

Ryan Johnson, Managing Director for the UK and Ireland at Enterprise Mobility, said: “At Enterprise Mobility, we’re committed to supporting the communities where we operate, and we recognise the profound impact that access to books can have on a child’s development and future opportunities.

“Through our partnership with the National Literacy Trust, we are addressing the concerning decline in book ownership among children across the UK. Together, we are working to inspire young minds, promote diversity in literature, and empower children to unlock their full potential through reading.”

Through their partnership, Enterprise Mobility and the National Literacy Trust have now donated approximately 75,000 books to children across the UK, fostering a brighter future through the power of literature.

This project is made possible by Enterprise Mobility’s global ROAD Forward initiative, a £43 million commitment over five years aimed at advancing social and racial equity in communities worldwide, launched in 2020.

Free Coronavirus Information book for children

Axel Scheffler has illustrated a digital book for primary school age children, free for anyone to read on screen or print out, about the coronavirus and the measures taken to control it.

Published by Nosy Crow, and written by staff within the company, the book has had expert input: Professor Graham Medley of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine acted as a consultant, and the company also had advice from two head teachers and a child psychologist.

The book answers key questions in simple language appropriate for 5 to 9 year olds:

• What is the coronavirus?
• How do you catch the coronavirus?
• What happens if you catch the coronavirus?
• Why are people worried about catching the coronavirus?
• Is there a cure for the coronavirus?
• Why are some places we normally go to closed?
• What can I do to help?
• What’s going to happen next?

We want to make sure that this book is accessible to every child and family and so the book is offered totally free of charge to anyone who wants to read it.

However, we have suggested, at the back of the book, that families might make a donation to help our health service if they find the book useful: https://www.nhscharitiestogether.co.uk/.

Kate Wilson, Managing Director of Nosy Crow, said: “We were very aware that many parents and carers are struggling to explain the current extraordinary situation to children, many of whom are frightened and confused.

“We thought that the best thing we could do would be to use our skills to produce a free book to explain and, where possible, reassure children. We asked Axel, whose work is so familiar and so loved, to illustrate it. He was happy to do it, and did it extraordinarily quickly.

“Meanwhile, having heard Professor Medley interviewed by the BBC, we looked him up and wrote to him, and despite his huge workload, he reviewed the book over a weekend, and we were able to incorporate his suggestions, together with those of two head teachers and a child psychologist, into the final version of the book. We hope it helps answer difficult questions in difficult times.”

Axel Scheffler, illustrator of The Gruffalo, said: “I asked myself what I could do as an children’s illustrator to inform, as well as entertain, my readers here and abroad. So I was glad when my publisher, Nosy Crow, asked me to illustrate this question-and-answer book about the coronavirus.

“I think it is extremely important for children and families to have access to good and reliable information in this unprecedented crisis, and I hope that the popularity of the books I’ve done with Julia Donaldson will ensure that this digital book will reach many children who are now slightly older, but might still remember our picture books.”

Professor Graham Medley, Professor of Infectious Disease Modelling at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: “This pandemic is changing children’s lives across the globe and will have a lasting impact on us all.

“Helping children understand what is going on is an important step in helping them cope and making them part of the story – this is something that we are all going through, not something being done to them.

“This book puts children IN the picture rather just watching it happen, and in a way that makes the scary parts easier to cope with.”

You can download a copy of the book here