The winners of the UK’s most successful children’s writing competition, 500 Words, have been unveiled on World Book Day® in a special episode of The One Show – 500 Words with The One Show – on BBC One and iPlayer.
From thousands of talented entries, six exceptional young authors who submitted their stories to the BBC’s 500 words competition were crowned last week at the Grand Final in Buckingham Palace, with their identities kept secret until the big reveal on today’s special edition of The One Show.
Her Majesty the Queen invited Romesh Ranganathan and a host of celebrity readers including Hugh Bonneville, Oti Mabuse, Luke Evans, Olivia Dean, Tom Hiddleston and star of Matilda, Alisha Weir, to Buckingham Palace for the final event which opened with a special performance of ‘Pure Imagination’ from ‘Wonka’, courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures, followed by ‘When I Grow Up’ performed by the West End cast of Matilda The Musical.
All the excitement from entire event, including all the live performances by celebrity readers of the winning stories, will be available to watch on CBBC at 4pm Friday 8 March.
Speaking at the Grand Final, Her Majesty The Queen said: “In the three years that we have been without this wonderful competition, I think we have realised how much we have missed it.
“Over the years, it has actually turned into half a billion words that have been written, typed, scribbled and tumbled onto thousands of pages by children across the UK, read by an army of volunteers and then sent to Oxford University Press to form the biggest collection of children’s writing in the world.
“That means that between you, you have created more than a million stories of thought-provoking adventure for future generations to study and enjoy. Thank you to everybody who has taken part in 500 Words – it is a huge pleasure to have you back.”
BBC Head of Education, Helen Foulkes said: “It’s incredible that we received almost 44,000 entries – the calibre of stories submitted this year have been exceptionally high.
“500 Words is all about encouraging children from across the UK to enjoy writing and let their imaginations run wild, without fear of spelling, punctuation or grammar. Our hope is that every child that entered continues to fall in love with writing.”
The six winners were chosen from two age group categories, ages 5-7 and 8-11 with each consisting of gold, silver and bronze awards.
500 Words Gold Winners
The GOLD Winner for 5-7 age group is Evan from London, his story, Message in a Bottle was read by singer Olivia Dean. Evan said: “I like writing descriptions, letters and diaries.”
The GOLD Winner for the 8-11 age group is Olive from London, her story, Cellmate was read by actor, Tom Hiddleston. Olive said: “It came from the depths of my brain, I never knew what was down there, now I do!”
500 Words Silver Winners
The SILVER Winner for the 5-7 age group is Clara from Leicestershire, her story, Pony With a Coat on – Solving Crimes was read by Matilda star, Alisha Weir.
The SILVER Winner for the 8-11 age group was Spencer from Glasgow, his story, The Scottish Gangsta was read by Hugh Bonneville.
500 Words Bronze Winners
The BRONZE Winner for the 5-7 age group was Henry from Oxfordshire, his story The Alien and the Purple Planet was read by Oti Mabuse.
The BRONZE Winner for the 8-11 age group was Aaron from Oxfordshire, his story A Very Important Lesson was read by actor and singer, Luke Evans.
The 500 Words judges included Sir Lenny Henry, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Francesca Simon, Charlie Higson, and Malorie Blackman, who were chaired by BBC Breakfast’s Jon Kay.
Each of the finalist’s stories are available to read now on the BBC Teach website, alongside audio versions which have been voiced specially by BBC Radio Drama Actors
The Bibliography of Edinburgh History has been updated by the Old Edinburgh Club, forming an extensive collection of nearly 3,000 items. These books, chapters, journal articles and dissertations illuminate the rich heritage of the city, dating from William Maitland’s 1753 History of Edinburgh and Leith.
Easily searchable online, the Bibliography covers prehistory to modern times. It takes in in a range of themes, social, cultural, economic and architectural and features the Old and New Towns and local communities across the city.
Old Edinburgh Club President, Edward Duvall said, “We are delighted to announce the latest version of Bibliography of Edinburgh History, which has grown by 25%.
“We have included new publications up to the end of 2023 and, with the help of our members, identified many older items not previously included.
“We make the Bibliography freely available and it provides a launchpad for anyone wishing to delve into the city’s history.”
The Bibliography can be accessed on the following link:
This year marks the 100th anniversary of Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House, the largest and most famous Dolls’ House in the world, which has been on display for visitors to Windsor Castle since its creation.
The Dolls’ House was built between 1921 and 1924 as a gift from the nation to Queen Mary following the First World War.
It is a perfect 1:12 scale replica of an Edwardian-style residence – complete with electricity, working lifts and running water – and is filled with contributions from over 1,500 of the finest artists, craftspeople, and manufacturers of the day.
One of the great treasures of the Dolls’ House is its Library, which captured the literary culture of the 1920s through miniature books handwritten by the era’s foremost writers, from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Vita Sackville-West to A. A. Milne and Thomas Hardy.
Now, in an anniversary initiative championed by Her Majesty The Queen, 20 tiny manuscripts have been penned and decorated by hand by leading writers and illustrators, to establish a Modern-Day Miniature Library, once again providing a snapshot of contemporary literature in Britain.
The new manuscripts range from short stories, poetry collections and illustrated tales to plays, articles and recipes, many inspired by the Dolls’ House or written specially for the occasion.
Each manuscript, measuring just 4.5cm high, has been hand-bound with a unique cover by a leading designer-bookbinder. Each miniature cover is a work of art, with each binder taking inspiration from the contents of their book to create designs that range from gilded and traditional to whimsical and strikingly modern.
The new books, which will become part of the Royal Collection, are now on display for visitors to Windsor Castle and can be seen throughout 2024.
Her Majesty The Queen has contributed her own miniature book to the collection: a handwritten introduction to the Modern-Day Miniature Library project. Bound in the Royal Bindery at Windsor Castle, the book features a gold-tooled miniature version of Her Majesty’s cypher, measuring just 7mm tall.
It was created using a specially made cypher tool, which was modelled on the tool used to apply Queen Mary’s 7mm-tall cypher to the original Dolls’ House Library books in the 1920s.
Today (Tuesday, 30 January), Her Majesty The Queen will host a reception at Windsor Castle to thank the authors, illustrators and binders who have contributed their work to the project. Her Majesty will view the new miniature books and will be shown her own hand-bound contribution for the first time, which will then be added to the display for visitors.
The contributors to the Modern-Day Miniature Library are:
Her Majesty The Queen, Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House: foreword, bound by Glenn Bartley, Royal Bindery, Windsor Castle.
Simon Armitage, There was a steep grass bank then a field, bound by Matthew Stockl, Royal Bindery, Windsor Castle.
Alan Bennett, The Mantelpiece, bound by Andreas Maroulis, Royal Bindery, Windsor Castle.
Malorie Blackman, A Message to Jessica, bound by Bayntun-Riviere. Illustrations by Elizabeth Mira Morrison.
Lucy Caldwell, Intimacies, bound by Gillian Stewart, Juju Books. Illustrations by Orla Routh (age 5 ¾).
Joseph Coelho, An Abecedarius of the Very Teeny: and other poems, bound by Matthew Stockl, Royal Bindery, Windsor Castle.
Imtiaz Dharker, The Welcome, bound by Flora Ginn.
Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler, The Gruffalo, bound by Glenn Bartley, Royal Bindery, Windsor Castle.
Bernardine Evaristo, The African Origins of the United Kingdom, bound by Sue Doggett.
Sebastian Faulks, Music for a Dolls’ House, 1924–2024, bound by Shepherds, Sangorski & Sutcliffe.
Philippa Gregory, Richard my Richard: a play, bound by Stuart Brockman, Brockman Bookbinders.
Robert Hardman, The Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla, 6.V.2023, bound by Ted Bennett. Illustrations by Phoebe Hardman (age 14).
Anthony Horowitz, A Tiny Ghost Story, bound by Angela James.
Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, bound by Hannah Brown.
Sir Ben Okri, Poems, bound by Rachel Ward-Sale, Bookbinders of Lewes.
Tom Parker Bowles, A Recipe Fit for a Queen, bound by Andreas Maroulis, Royal Bindery, Windsor Castle.
Elif Shafak, Aisha woke up from troubled dreams, bound by Haein Song.
Sir Tom Stoppard, Kolya’s Glove, bound by Lester Capon.
Sarah Waters, Underhand House: part one, bound by Christopher Shaw.
A. N. Wilson, The Residents: a poem, bound by Peter Jones.
Dame Jacqueline Wilson, The House Mouse / translated from Mouse Squeaks, bound by Eri Funazaki.
As well as the display of miniature books, visitors to Windsor Castle this year can see a special centenary display of items usually contained within the Dolls’ House.
Staged in the magnificent Waterloo Chamber, this display allows visitors to get even closer to the House’s tiny treasures, which range from a fully strung miniature grand piano and Crown Jewels inset with real diamonds to a miniscule vacuum cleaner and sewing machine.
The room at Windsor Castle that was created to house the Dolls’ House almost 100 years ago has been restored to mark the anniversary, and the Dolls’ House itself has been re-lit to simulate daylight rather than moonlight. On Royal Collection Trust’s website, new ‘dolls’-eye view’ films are giving viewers around the world the chance to discover the House’s miniature marvels in closer detail than ever before.
Her Majesty The Queen opens her miniature introduction by expressing her admiration for the Dolls’ House Library: ‘For me, it is the library that is the most breath-taking space in the house’.
“These new books highlight the incredible richness of twenty-first century Literary talent – and demonstrate how fortunate we are to have access to so many outstanding writers, whose work brings joy, comfort, laughter, companionship and hope to us all, opening our eyes to others’ experiences and reminding us that we are not alone.”
Stella Panayotova, Royal Librarian and Assistant Keeper of The Royal Archives, said: ‘These tiny books are big in imagination and talent, in feelings and insights.
“Exquisite books rekindle the joy of careful reading, close looking, quiet thinking. We are truly grateful to the authors, illustrators and designer-binders for awakening the century-old magic of the Dolls’ House. It is exciting to share their small books with large audiences, delighting and inspiring visitors of all ages.’
Julia Donaldson said: ‘It was an honour to be asked to write a miniature book for the new collection. I did think of doing something entirely new but then felt it would be iconic to have a tiny version of The Gruffalo, especially since it seemed a good way of celebrating his 25th birthday (the book was published in 1999).
“It was quite tricky working out the new pagination and making my handwriting as small as could be, but Axel had a greater labour of love creating all those extra pictures. I can’t wait to see the final product.’
Axel Scheffler said: ‘I felt very honoured to be asked to contribute a miniature book to the Dolls’ House library, and of course, it had to be The Gruffalo!
“It was a little bit of a challenge to re-illustrate the whole story on approximately 90 tiny pages rather than 30 regular-sized pages. But, as I like to draw small pictures, it put me to a test, but suited me well.’
Sebastian Faulks said: ‘The size made it a real challenge. But fun. I’m not a poet and there was no room for prose, so I wrote a kind of syllabic verse.
“My handwriting has not been under such pressure since infant school. I can only apologise for my illustrations. It was such an honour to have been invited to contribute.’
Dame Jacqueline Wilson said: ‘I was taken to see the Queen’s Dolls’ House when I was seven. I was completely enchanted and particularly loved the miniature books in the library.
“It was such a thrill to be invited to contribute one myself all these many years later.’
The new publication The Miniature Library of Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House by Elizabeth Clark Ashby is available now, exploring the stories behind the creation of the original Dolls’ House Library.
The book includes a foreword by Her Majesty The Queen, as well as excerpts from selected works, some of which are reproduced for the first time. The book joins a new Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House souvenir range that is available in Royal Collection Trust’s shops.
Anniversary events and activities throughout the year will include a Dolls’ House-themed family trail for visitors to the Castle, as well as family activities during the Easter holidays.
An online evening event in April will see Royal Collection Trust curators revealing behind-the-scenes details and sharing how the House is conserved for future generations to enjoy.
Scottish Book Trust, the national charity changing lives with reading and writing, has today announced that it will gift books to children and families visiting food banks this winter, for the third year.
The need for food banks has continued to grow in Scotland, rising 30% between April 2022 and March this year, compared to the same period in 2021–22. New data from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation reports that over a million people in Scotland are living in poverty, around a quarter of whom are children.
Marking its 25th anniversary this year, Scottish Book Trust works to tackle inequality and break the poverty cycle through access to books and reading.
Since 2020, Scottish Book Trust has distributed over 290,000 books to children and families in need through food banks, community hubs and other charities across Scotland. This includes food banks in Edinburgh and the Lothians, The Salvation Army on Gorgie Road, East Lothian Foodbank, West Lothian Foodbank and The Larder.
Julia Donaldson, Axel Scheffler and Macmillan Children’s Books have given the charity kind permission to use illustrations from The Gruffalo’s Child to help support and raise awareness of the charity’s Christmas appeal.
Julia Donaldson said: ‘Scottish Book Trust has been doing great work for 25 years supporting children with literacy and improving access to books. The charity has just beaten the Gruffalo by one year, as he is going to be 25 next year.
“In fact, the Gruffalo’s origins go back to when I first tried the story out in various primary schools in Scotland, under the wing of Scottish Book Trust.
“I have continued to work with the charity regularly since then and am very pleased that The Gruffalo’s Child is leading their Christmas appeal this year and helping children and families at a time when books and stories are needed more than ever.’
Axel Scheffler said: ‘I am very happy that The Gruffalo’s Child is at the centre of Scottish Book Trust’s fundraising campaign this Christmas.
“Enjoying books together is important for families and it is terrible that many children still have no access to books – and that this need is becoming ever greater.
“I hope that many people will support this Christmas appeal, so that Scottish Book Trust can increase their work in making a difference to children’s lives in Scotland.’
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: ‘Christmas is looking stark for many families across Scotland. Access to books is absolutely essential for a child’s development and wellbeing, and for many the only books they have at home are the ones that have been given to them by Scottish Book Trust.
“Books make a huge difference to daily lives, bringing comfort, escapism and togetherness in families. Every child deserves a little magic at Christmas and donations to our appeal will provide vital support for those most in need.’
Funds raised from the appeal will enable Scottish Book Trust to give books to families via food banks and community hubs and deliver more of its life-changing work. Some examples of its programmes include specialist support for young families facing significant challenges through Bookbug for the Home, providing tactile books for children with additional support needs and supporting those living with dementia and the people who care for them.
To learn more about Scottish Book Trust’s Christmas appeal, visit:
Please note that we will not accept donations on the day of the event.
If you wish to donate items, please pop into the ELREC Office (14 Forth Street EH13LH) on Wednesday July 5th, and Thursday July 6th from 10 am to 5 pm.
Scotland’s first-ever free, book recycling vending machine is unveiled at The Centre, Livingston – ‘Read. Swap. Repeat.’ – to give shoppers the chance to swap their old books for a reused one, for free, to help keep them in circulation and prevent them from going to landfill.
The ‘swapping’ vending machine stocks 200 books for adults and children.
Shoppers simply hand in old books, which are in a good condition, to the Customer Service Desk, near New Look, and collect a token to use in the machine, which is full of pre-loved books from all genres, and simply choose another one for free! Books are regularly restocked to ensure shoppers find something different every time they visit.
Shoppers have the chance to swap up to three books at a time and also donate books to help keep the stock up without swapping. Any books which can’t be used will be donated to charity.
Katie Gallacher, Marketing Manager at The Centre, Livingston said: “Our Read. Swap. Repeat. free book vending machine is a great way for book lovers to share their favourite reads and help the environment at the same time.
“We’re delighted to be the first in Scotland to launch it and are confident it will be a big hit with visitors to the shopping centre.”
George Gellatly from Balerno, who regularly visits The Centre, Livingston with his wife Sandra, said: “I think the book vending machine is a great idea!
“I’ve seen lots of vending machines like this but never one with recycled books in it!
“Being big readers, my wife and I will definitely be using it – it is such a great way to reuse books and may be even pick one up that we wouldn’t normally go for.”
The book vending machine is situated next to Gregg’s Café and the Post Office.
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh publishes dictionary demonstrating the important connections between plants and language
If you heard someone talking about stink Davie, witch gowan or doon-head clock would you know what they meant? These are just three of the many different names found across Scotland for the humble dandelion.
In his book published at the end of the month by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, botanist Dr Gregory J Kenicer explores the brilliant, descriptive and often amusing ways in which language has influenced plant names through the ages.
Scottish Plant Names is a small book of wondrous plant names presented in dictionary form and covers a variety of flower, fungi and mosses. From the almost completely forgotten Pictish, to the North East dialect Doric, Scotland’s vocabulary is as varied as its flora.
Released on Thursday 22 June, this book delves in to the botany of language, and although the focus is very much on Scots, Gaelic and English, the influences of many other tongues can be seen throughout.
Beautifully illustrated by Hazel France, artist and horticulturist at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Scottish Plant Names depicts some of the plants as they appear in the wild, and other drawings are a literal take on some of the weird and wonderful names that they have been given throughout history.
Marsh-marigold as ‘demon water-horse’s shoe’, foxgloves as ‘witches thimbles’, bluebell as ‘crows toes’, and the rose as ‘itchy coos’, some names are descriptive, while others speak of the use of the plant and some are poetic and poignant.
Some names have religious origins or roots in wider folklore, whilst others are very recent inventions. Scottish Plant Names demonstrates the power of observing, classifying and naming, and gives us an insight into the past, people’s relationships with plants and ways of looking at the world.
Speaking about the publication of Scottish Plant Names, Greg Kenicer said, “It has been a joy to research this book. The diversity and evolution of plant names is intricate, so delving in to the etymology and uncovering the stories behind them has been fascinating.
“Over the years, plants have been named in a variety of ways – from the simple changes in spelling from existing names to naming for similarity – for example the slender, curving stems of bramble are one of several plants called ‘leddy’s garters’ in Scots, or ‘lady’s garters’ in English.
“I came across some scurrilous names in my research too, often with political undertones For example, there are several smelly plants called ‘stinking Billy’ in ‘honour’ of William of Orange.
“Names are very powerful things. They are a crucial part of the way that we see and classify the world around us. Humans instinctively group things, compare them and identify them, but it is only by giving these things a name that we can truly communicate them to others.
“These common names are wonderfully varied even across short geographic distances, hence we use scientific names to help keep things standard wherever you are in the world.”
Scottish Plant Names is published by The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh on June 22 and is available on pre-order now at rbgeshop.org
Scottish Book Trust, the national charity changing lives with reading and writing, has today announced this year’s winners of the First Minister’s Reading Challenge.
Coen, a P7 pupil from Liberton Primary School, has won the Pupil Reading the Most Books award after reading an incredible 71 books over the course of the school year.
The First Minister’s Reading Challenge was established in 2016, and celebrates the reading journeys of schools, libraries, and community groups across Scotland. The Challenge is run by Scottish Book Trust, working closely with Education Scotland. It includes book suggestions, learning resources, prizes, case studies and ideas to help young people develop a love of reading, as well as the opportunity to apply for funded author visits.
Andy Theakston, P7 class teacher (above) said: ‘At Liberton Primary School, we are incredibly proud of Coen and how much commitment he has shown to the First Minister’s Reading Challenge.
“He is an avid reader and was very keen to take part right from the start of the year. We knew he would read a lot of books during the challenge, but to win is an absolutely fantastic achievement!’
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: ‘Many congratulations to this year’s First Minister’s Reading Challenge winners, as well as to those who were highly commended.
“Reading for pleasure supports attainment across the curriculum – as well as boosting empathy, wellbeing and critical thinking – and we are delighted to see how schools, libraries and community groups have used the Challenge to develop their reading cultures.’
The First Minister’s Reading Challenge was launched in March 2016 and in its first year was open from August 2016 to March 2017 to all Primary 4 to Primary 7 children in local authority and independent schools across Scotland.
In its second year the Challenge was expanded to include Primaries 1 to 3, and in its third year, the Challenge was expanded to include Secondary Schools, Libraries and Community Groups.
Full list of this year’s winning and highly commended groups:
· Classroom Inspiration Challenge
o Winner – The Selkies from Parklands School (Argyll & Bute)
o Highly Commended – P6b from Darnley Primary School (Glasgow City)
o Highly Commended – Campsie View School (East Dunbartonshire)
· Reading Inspiration Challenge
o Winner – Dornoch Academy (Highland)
o Highly Commended – King’s Park Secondary School (Glasgow City)
· Pupil Reading Journey – Group
o Winner – Braco Primary School (Perth and Kinross)
o Highly Commended – Golfhill Primary School (Glasgow City)
· Lower Primary Pupil Reading Journey
o Winner – P1–3 from Bankton Primary School (West Lothian)
· P4 Pupil Reading Journey
o Winner – Ivy from Findochty Primary School (Moray)
· P5 Pupil Reading Journey
o Winner – Judy from Oakgrove Primary School (Glasgow City)
· P7 Pupil Reading Journey
o Winner – Daisy from Findochty Primary School (Moray)
· Library Reading Culture Challenge
o Winner – Denny Library and Denny High School (Falkirk)
· Community Reading Culture Challenge
o Winner – Virtual School NLC Letterbox Club (North Lanarkshire)
· Pupil Reading the Most Books
o Winner – Coen from Liberton Primary School (Edinburgh City)
Children across the UK will be stepping into their imaginations and dressing up as their favourite characters for World Book Day this Thursday on March 2nd.
Here at the Royal National Institute of Blind people (RNIB), we want to make sure that children with vision impairments can celebrate the power of reading on World Book Day – and every day of the year – alongside their fully sighted peers. This means giving them access to the same books and reading opportunities at school and at home.
That’s why we’re so excited that, for the first time, we have accessible electronic versions of all this year’s World Book Day titles available to download as part of our RNIB Library (www.rniblibrary.com). This means that all learners with a print disability can get them at the same time as their friends and classmates!
This year’s range of books includes Lenny Henry’s ‘The Boy with Wings; Attack of the Rampaging Robot’, ‘Lifesize Creepy Crawlies’ by Sophy Henn and the hilarious ‘Bedtime for the Burpee Bears’ by Joe Wicks and Paul Howard.
There’s something to suit beginner-readers right through to confident book-lovers. So whether your child is dreaming of being able to fly or spinning webs like Spiderman, there’s sure to be something to spark their imagination.
The books are also available in braille and audio CD and can be ordered through RNIB’s Helpline on 0303 123 9999.
On behalf of all at RNIB, we wish you an amazing, word-filled World Book Day!
James Bartlett
Senior Manager Reading Services, RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People)
