Tag: reading

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

Animal Farm voted the nation’s favourite school book

  • Orwell’s classic novella narrowly beat A Christmas Carol and Of Mice and Men 
  • JB Priestley’s An Inspector Calls among the most popular for young Brits 
  • Bronte books rated highly by women, but low down the rankings for men 

George Orwell’s political fable Animal Farm has been voted the nation’s favourite ever school book, in new research commissioned ahead of International Children’s Book Day 2021 today (2nd April). 

The study, conducted by Oxford Home Schooling, asked 2,000 UK adults which books they most enjoyed reading when at school and Animal Farm was selected by a quarter (25%) of respondents. 

The novella was followed in the rankings by Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (21%) and John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men (19%). Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is the most popular school book written by a female author (18%), placing sixth on the overall list. 

Orwell and Dickens both appear twice in the top 10, as does William Shakespeare, showing his timeless appeal to all ages. Romeo and Juliet is the UK’s favourite play by The Bard (19%), ahead of Macbeth (15%). 

The UK’s top 10 favourite school books are: 

  1. Animal Farm (George Orwell) 
  2. A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens) 
  3. Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck) 
  4. 1984 (George Orwell) 
  5. Romeo and Juliet (William Shakespeare) 
  6. To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee) 
  7. Great Expectations (Charles Dickens) 
  8. Macbeth (William Shakespeare) 
  9. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Brontë)
  10. Lord of the Flies (William Golding) 

The majority of the most popular books are from the 1900s, but three 21st century works made the top 40.

John Boyne’s haunting Holocaust novel, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, published in 2006, was the highest rated work from this millennium (30th), with The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Mark Haddon – 2003) and Noughts and Crosses (Malorie Blackman – 2001) also featuring highly. 

Men and women have significantly different tastes when it comes to books it seems, with their respective top 10 lists contrasting wildly. While Animal Farm is the favourite amongst men, A Christmas Carol tops the list for women, followed by Charlotte Brontë’s gothic romance novel Jane Eyre.  

The Brontë sisters are generally far more popular with female readers, with both Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, younger sibling Emily’s sole work, rated far higher by women. Despite both featuring in the top six for women, neither appear in the top 15 for men (Wuthering Heights – 18th, Jane Eyre – 23rd).  

It appears that younger readers are also turning away from Jane Eyre, as it features in the top 10 for all age groups except 18–24-year-olds. It is replaced by JB Priestley’s crime thriller An Inspector Calls, with the classic 20th century play ranking seventh for this latest generation. Of Mice and Men is the favourite among young Brits. 

Greg Smith, Head of Operations at Oxford Home Schooling, said: “The books we read at school can affect our general interest in reading in later life, so it’s really important that people enjoy the novels given to them.  

“Animal Farm is an incredibly powerful story and it’s not surprising to see that people remember it fondly. It also topped our rankings when we ran this study five years ago, showing that its popularity is enduring. 

“However, it’s also interesting to see other works creep up towards the top of the lists. We’ll have to see whether Orwell can complete a hat-trick in years to come, or whether a new favourite will emerge!” 

For more information about the research and expert advice on how to get your child to read more, both in and out of school, visit: 

https://www.oxfordhomeschooling.co.uk/blog/how-to-encourage-your-child-to-read-more/  

Books transcending borders

Scottish pupils to travel around the world in one week with digital events

Next week (Monday 22 March – Friday 25 March), the Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour will travel around the world for the very first time with its virtual Connected: Continents tour.

Pupils will join events and meet authors live from different parts of the world including Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, North and South America.

From celebrating different cultures and languages, to exploring mythology and magic to drawing manga, the Connected: Continents tour is jam-packed with fun events for all the family.

Scottish pupils will explore the continents from their classroom or home through six different events. Schools all over the globe were invited to join the Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour, made possible by the virtual format.

For the first time since the tour’s inception 23 years ago, a school from Canada will tune in alongside Scottish pupils.

Connected: Continents tour schedule

  • From Spain, author Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara will take pupils on a whistle-stop tour of Europe to visit some of the great figures showcased in her own book series Little People, Big Dreams: including Greta Thunberg, Rudolf Nureyev and Marie Curie.
  • Award-winning designer, author and illustrator Ken Wilson-Max will be joined by a guest writer from Africa for a mini-festival of stories and celebration. The event will explore roots, family, equality, mythology and magic.
  • Joining from Dallas, Texas, American Muslim author, designer and entrepreneur Hafsah Faizal will discuss her journey to becoming a writer and the influences behind her award-winning, Arabian-inspired Sands of Arawiya duology.
  • Live from Australia, bestselling author Jessica Townsend will chat about her fantasy series Nevermoor – soon to be a major movie. The first book in the series was the biggest-selling Australian children’s debut since records began.
  • Joining from Peru, illustrator Issa Watanabe will explain her wordless picture book Migrants. Award-winning bi-lingual author and literary translator Lawrence Schimel will also take part in the event, which will be in Spanish with a translator.
  • A live interactive workshop with Japanese artist Chie Kutsuwada will finish the tour, bringing the work of Shakespeare alive for manga fans and Shakespeare enthusiasts alike.

The Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour is supported by Scottish Friendly and organised by Scottish Book Trust, the national charity transforming lives through reading and writing.

Fun, educational video content and live events for classroom and home learning have to-date reached an audience of over 100,000 through Scottish Book Trust’s Home Activities Hub, On Demand library and social media content.

Events from the Connected: Continents tour will be available to watch later via Scottish Book Trust’s On Demand Library.

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust said: “For the very first time, the Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour will transport pupils from Africa to Australia.

“The magic of an author’s visit has a lasting impact on young people’s learning, and the diverse and exciting Connected: Continents events will inspire students with stories from other cultures and languages.”

Carol Ann Neil, Primary Teacher at Bridge of Allan Primary School said: “It’s amazing how one book can inspire so much. The Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour was fantastic and helped support remote learning for Primary 6 pupils at Bridge of Allan Primary School.

Thank you so much to Scottish Book Trust for the wonderful opportunity.”

Why poetry is just what we need to lift our lockdown mood

WORLD POETRY DAY – 21st MARCH

World Poetry Day is the ideal opportunity to share poems with your youngsters. Playful, silly, beautiful, fun… there’s something for everyone. Former primary school teacher Becky Cranham of education resources experts PlanBee shows you how

A Lockdown Haiku
Another zoom call
Daily freezing groundhog walk 
Will this ever end?

Writing poetry has always been a way for people to express difficult feelings and emotions. There is something so cathartic about immortalising thoughts on paper, particularly if those words are arranged in a precise and pleasing arrangement of sounds and syllables. 

Yet as technology advances and people find other outlets for self-expression, poetry is becoming less and less mainstream. For those for whom poetry is unfamiliar, it can seem a daunting and curious art form, especially when it comes to introducing children. Where do you start? What forms should you teach? How do you condense something so vast into manageable and understandable chunks? 

Part of the joy of poetry, however, is its simplicity. It doesn’t have to be ‘The Iliad’; it can be playful and silly and freeing. It can also be tender or thoughtful, pensive or angry, hopeful or despairing. Poetry can be anything you want it to be, and that is its unique beauty. 

World Poetry Day is the perfect excuse to use poetry to help children (and adults) through these tough times.

So how exactly can poetry help? First and foremost, poetry is fun! Search ‘nonsense poetry’ online with your children and you will find a plethora of hilariously stupid poems to make your children laugh. Or look up the poems of the nonsense king, Spike Milligan, for some classic nonsense such as ‘On the ning nang nong’ or ‘Land of the Bumbly Boo’.

Funny poems, whether nonsense or not, are fantastic at any time of day to lighten the mood – and we could all use a bit more of that at the moment!

Poetry is also a great way of encouraging children to explore their feelings. Children have had to deal with so much this past year: a scary virus, school closures, virtual learning, missing family and friends, as well as the loss of loved ones for many.

Poetry gives children the chance to reflect on how they feel and give a voice to their feelings. Encouraging your children to write a poem, carefully choosing which words they want to include, can help them process difficult emotions. 

It also affords children the chance to look to the future and the (hopefully) brighter days ahead. We all need a big old dose of hope right now and poetry can help children express what they are looking forward to about the future, helping them recognise that current events are just temporary and that life will look different soon.

Which is why at PlanBee, we’re running a special poetry competition this year. 

Write a poem entitled ‘When Lockdown is Over’ for your chance to win a beautiful poetry anthology

In honour of World Poetry Day 2021, PlanBee is running a competition for children aged five to 11 to encourage them to engage with poetry. All they need to do is write a poem about what they will do, or are hoping for, when lockdown ends, called ‘When Lockdown is Over’.

The poem can be in any form at all but some ideas and templates are included in this free download to get them started. 

Five lucky winners will receive a copy of ‘The Folio Book of Children’s Poetry’ – a beautiful anthology of poems for children to treasure. 

Email your entries, along with your child’s first name and age, to info@planbee.com or tag them on PlanBee’s Facebook or Instagram pages. 

Entries close at midnight on Friday 19 March and the winners will be announced on World Poetry Day, Sunday 21st March, on our social media.

The winners will be emailed individually too, so keep an eye on your inbox! 

The Scottish Friendly Children’s virtual Book Tour unlocks support for children during lockdown

128 schools across 32 local authorities in Scotland have joined the virtual Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tours since the start of lockdown last year, with educational video content viewed over 100,000 times.

The ‘Connected’: Space tour recently hosted five days of ‘out-of-this-world’ virtual events, telling the stories of space adventures through science fact and fiction.

The digital events took place online from Monday 22 February to Friday 26 February, with schools from Aberdeen, Argyll & Bute, East Renfrewshire, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Glasgow, Moray, Scottish Borders, South Ayrshire and West Lothian signed up for events, reaching over 750 pupils.

The events are available to watch on demand via Scottish Book Trust’s website.

The Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour is supported by Scottish Friendly and organised by Scottish Book Trust, the national charity transforming lives through reading and writing.

For over 20 years the tour has visited schools the length and breadth of the UK, bringing the world’s best authors directly in front of children in classrooms. Since covid-19 the tour has adapted to the restrictions and changing landscape and has gone fully digital to continue vital work in supporting children, reaching around 8,000 P1-S3 pupils.

Fun, educational video content and live events for home learning and in the classroom have to-date reached an audience of over 100,000 through the Scottish Book Trust social media, Home Activities Hub and On Demand library.

Carol Ann Neil, teacher at Bridge of Allan Primary School said: “Having the opportunity to engage with the Space Explorers event reignited the children’s enthusiasm for reading as individuals and as a class team to share stories during the pandemic.”

The Connected: Space tour featured a diverse mix of book events, including: illustrator and graphic designer Matt Carr, creator of Rocketmole; author and astronomer Dr Sheila Kanani and author Libby Jackson, one of the UK’s foremost space experts and author of book Space Explorers. 

P5-7 pupils had the opportunity to meet Dr Alastair Bruce, Dynamic Earth’s very own resident Astronomer. Joined by Alastair Chisholm, author of Orion Lost, pupils took the role of captain and decided the fate of their own space mission.

The previous tour, Connected: Polar, is now available to watch via Scottish Book Trust’s On Demand library hub. Events include Sarah Airreiss and British Antarctic Survey, live from the Antarctic and Shackleton’s Journey with William Grill and RRS Discovery, Dundee.

The next virtual Connected tour: Continents, will take place from Monday 22 March – Friday 25 March.

Pupils will have the chance to join events and meet authors live from different parts of the world including Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, North and South America.

From celebrating different cultures and languages, to exploring about mythology and magic to drawing manga, the Connected: Continents, tour is jam-packed with fun events for all the family. Schools can find out more and sign up via Scottish Book Trust’s website. Events will be available to watch later via Scottish Book Trust’s On Demand Library.

Kevin Brown, Head of PR at Scottish Friendly, said: “As soon as the pandemic hit and schools were closed, our number one priority was to provide educational and exciting content to help children, teachers and parents with engaging video content that can be viewed either via live social media streams or at a time of their choosing.”

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust said: “Scottish Book Trust is delighted to bring the Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour virtually into classrooms and homes across Scotland.

“Since the pandemic started a year ago, it has been more important than ever to provide young people with engaging and exciting content.

“The Connected tours aim to transport pupils to new worlds through author events, offering opportunities to spark their creativity and imagination. The feedback from schools and families has been fantastic, and our On Demand library allows anyone to watch the tour, at any time, and no matter their location.”

A novel year: Rare Birds Book Club predicts a page turning 2021

Scottish-based book club sees sales up 204% YoY

Membership figures projected to double in 2021

Even split between self-purchase and gifting

Rare Birds Book Club has offered a welcome distraction and a meaningful network for women across the world since its inception in 2017. As COVID-19 brought about the closure of businesses from independent to global, the monthly membership and digital book club saw its figures explode, with an increase in sales of over 52% during the first lockdown alone.

Twelve-months on and with three lockdowns under the country’s belt, the brand, which offers letterbox sized gifts to keep us entertained, has found itself to be one of the few winners of the pandemic.

The home of women’s fiction, Rare Birds Book Club has been a balm to combat the loneliness, anxiety and unease that Coronavirus has brought, not to mention the boredom. Showing just how much a year of being homebound has affected the nation’s shopping habits, Rare Birds announced a 255% increase when comparing January 2020 to January 2021 and an overall increase of 204% YoY. This equates to over 1,200 new monthly members across the last twelve months.

As a monthly service which delivers a surprise work of female fiction to your door, Rare Birds Book Club’s best-seller for 2020 was the pay-as-you-go option, “people love the flexibility and convenience, especially in these uncertain times” according to founder Rachel Wood.

However, that being said, last year saw over 44% of all Rare Birds purchase a 12-month membership or longer, meaning that for them the club is more than just something to keep them going during lockdown. On top of that, figures saw an almost even split, with 51% of members purchased for themselves, whilst 49% ordered as a gift for someone else.

Rachel Wood expands on why now, more than ever, people have been reawakening their love of reading: “Our mission at Rare Birds is simple: to make reading fun again. This year, nothing has seemed particularly fun and with fear at an all-time high and an inability to see our loved ones, a little escapism has been sorely needed.

“From the excitement of receiving a surprise book to the ability to gift those we miss, and have it fit neatly through their letterbox, we have been doing what we can to offer a touch of light relief in this difficult year.”

With a plan that is sure to set the literary world on fire, Rare Birds predicts it will double its members in 2021, finishing out the year with even more likeminded bibliophiles.

The brand will also see a number of big releases including a new line of gifting and a new way of selling in the second half of the year.  

For more information visit https://rarebirdsbookclub.com/

Book Week Scotland programme launched

Book Week Scotland: Monday 16 November – Sunday 22 November

Scottish Book Trust has launched Book Week Scotland’s 2020 programme, which focuses on the theme of Future. Scottish Book Trust, the national charity changing lives through reading and writing, has worked closely with partners to ensure the celebration will go ahead this year in a digital format due to the current pandemic.

Book Week Scotland is the country’s biggest celebration of reading and writing and it returns for its ninth year from Monday 16 November to Sunday 22 November. Although there will be no face-to-face events this year, the Digital Festival has a stellar line-up including award-winning author Denise Mina; actress and comedian Ruby Wax; bestselling crime writer Louise Welsh and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

To kick off the programme, writer Luke Winter joins Book Week Scotland for Dial a Story, a live writing service that will take place in Edinburgh on Monday 16 November.

Stationed at the Scottish Book Trust phonebox, Luke will be available to write personalised stories on his typewriter, which will be mailed to the participant. Members of the public can call Luke on 07818 173 266 between 11am and 2pm.

There will also be the opportunity for the public to take part in an online treasure hunt via Scottish Book Trust’s social media for the chance to win a Zoom appointment with Luke Winter. During the session, he will write a unique story for the winner: a perfect Christmas present for a loved one or friend.

An avid reader herself, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will join #BookShelfChat: sharing favourites from her own bookcase. The public are also encouraged to join in on Tuesday 17 November by sharing photographs of their own bookshelves using the hashtag.

Libraries and community groups across Scotland are also taking part in Book Week Scotland, with digital events in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Glasgow, Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire. More information can be found here.

50,000 free copies of the Future book, which includes real life stories from people around the country, will be available from libraries and other community venues during Book Week Scotland. A selection of 30 stories are featured in the book, which also includes work from author Abir Mukherjee of A Rising Man and poets Romalyn Ante of Antiemetic for Homesickness and Dean Atta of Black Flamingo.

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “Due to Covid-19 restrictions, Book Week Scotland will look different this year. However, we’re still excited to present a diverse and engaging programme with some of the biggest names in the Scottish literary scene and beyond.

“Whether it is joining our Digital Festival, reading the Future book or voting for the novel that sums up 2020, we hope everyone is able to take part this year in some form. Thanks also to our partners for working hard to make Book Week Scotland possible despite the difficulties.”

Viccy Adams, Literature Officer at Creative Scotland said: “Book Week Scotland connects people and communities across the country with the joys of reading for pleasure every year and sparks the imagination of the nation.

“In these difficult and uncertain times, this programme will help people access the solace and support that books bring into our lives and homes.”

Pamela Tulloch, Chief Executive of The Scottish Library & Information Council (SLIC) said: “SLIC is delighted to support Book Week Scotland. The power of literature has never been more important than in 2020. While library buildings may have closed during lockdown, readers still managed to turn to books as a welcome escape from the pressures of the pandemic and we witnessed an unprecedented spike in downloads of our digital reading resources.

“As such, I’m sure there will be a big appetite for Book Week Scotland’s Digital Festival. Libraries across Scotland are enthusiastically planning online content. There are some terrific names on the programme and it will provide the perfect opportunity for people of all ages and interests to engage, learn and be inspired by the joy of reading.”

Book Week Scotland event highlights:

Monday 16 November

  • 11am – 2pm: Luke Winter will be available via telephone (07818 173 266) or by visiting the Scottish Book Trust phonebox (George IV Bridge, outside Bank of Scotland). The event will operate within COVID-19 restrictions.
  • 12.30pm: Scottish literature and slavery – a walk along tour with the Edinburgh Caribbean Association. Lisa Williams, director of ECA takes playwright and poet Hannah Lavery on a literary-inspired tour of the capital city. The event will explore Edinburgh’s deep connections with Africa, Asia and the Caribbean from the 16th century to the present day.

Tuesday 17 November

  • First Minister Nicola Sturgeon joins #BookShelfChat with a tour of her bookshelf.
  • 8-bit game ‘Robert Burns Saves the World’ featuring Scottish literary characters launches – play as Jackie Kay, Muriel Spark, Robert Louis Stevenson, Nan Shepherd and many more notable figures.
  • 8pm: Comic writer Neil Slorance hosts Comic Jam via Twitch.

Wednesday 18 November

  • Book Week Scotland vote result announced: if 2020 was a book, what would it be? Vote now for your favourite here.
  • 12.30pm: Author Ross Sayers has a rallying cry for young writers in a new film.
  • 8pm: Award-winning author Denise Mina in conversation with Red Handed, true crime podcasters Suruthi Bala and Hannah Macguire.

Thursday 19 November

  • 12pm -2pm: The popular #ReadingLunch returns! The public are encouraged to post their lunch and their current read on social media with the hashtag.
  • 4pm: Writing The Cutting Room: a film premiere featuring behind the scenes stories from Louise Welsh’s debut, award-winning novel.
  • 8pm:New Suns, Different Futures – Faridah Àbíké-Íyímíde and Andrea Hairston, chaired by Nyla Ahmad, discuss the anthology which showcases emerging and seasoned writers of colour telling stories of speculative fiction.

Friday 20 November

  • 10am: Punching the Air: award-winning, bestselling author Ibi Zoboi and prison reform activist Dr Yusef Salaam of the Exonerated Five discuss their powerful YA novel in verse about a boy who is wrongfully incarcerated – chaired by award-winning author Patrice Lawrence.
  • 12.30pm: See You in 10 Years: a film exploring the journey with Scottish Book Trust, patron Val McDermid and National Library of Scotland, who have worked together to develop a time capsule that will include writing from young people of Scotland. Glasgow Artist Ali Forbes has been commissioned to design the capsule.
  • 4pm: Big Book Week Scotland quiz: join Scottish Book Trust for this fun literary quiz to fundraise for the charity.

Saturday 21 November

  • #BookSwoonScotland: join in online and post the best book covers you own.
  • 4pm: Writing Disabilities in Fiction: author Ever Dundas and crime writer Nell Pattison discuss the barriers they have faced during publication and what equals good representation in fiction.

Sunday 22 November

  • 10.30am: Futures, Connecting and Faith with author Leila Aboulela and poet Nadine Aisha Jassat.
  • 4pm: To the Future with Love – actor and comedian Ruby Wax ends the week on a high with historian and author Rutger Bregman, hosted by writer Heather Parry.

On all week

The Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour will run from Monday 16 – Friday 20 November with Robin Stevens, author of the best-selling Murder Most Unladylike series.

Robin will be beaming digitally into 60 schools across 22 Scottish local authorities. For schools not attending the virtual tour, they can still take part on Twitter with a murder mystery takeover including fun activities for the classroom.

The Book Week Scotland 2020 programme is now live and can be found here.

British sign language and closed captions will be available for all the panel events.

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.

It’s Roald Dahl Day

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Twits, James and the Giant Peach … children and adults have been delighted by Roald Dahl’s books for generations. September 13 is Roald Dahl Day, a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our favourite Dahl stories and characters with fellow fans all over the world.

Here, Dahl fan and former primary school teacher Laura Steele of educational resources experts PlanBee shares her top facts about the much-loved author.

Who was Roald Dahl?

Roald Dahl is one of the most famous authors in the world. His children’s books have been translated into almost 60 different languages, and sold over 250 million copies worldwide.

He was born on September 13 1916, in Llandaff, South Wales. His parents were Norwegian. 

School Life

Roald joined Llandaff Cathedral School in Wales when he was seven. He was said to have been a mischievous child. On one occasion, he and his friends devised the ‘great mouse plot’ when they hid a dead mouse in a jar of gobstoppers in order to give an unpleasant old sweet shop owner a fright. The boys were later found out and caned by their headmaster while the sweet shop owner watched. (This story, as well as many other tales from his childhood, is recounted in his autobiography, ‘Boy’.)

As a result of the caning, Roald’s mother withdrew him from the Cathedral School and sent him to St Peter’s Boarding School in Weston-super-Mare. He was just nine years old. Roald was very homesick to begin with, and even pretended to have appendicitis so that he would be sent home!

When he was 13, Roald became a pupil at Repton School in Derbyshire. One of the rare highlights of being a pupil there was when the boys were asked to sample and rate new chocolate bars for Cadbury!

Overall, however, he did not enjoy his school days, calling them ‘days of horror’ that were filled with ‘rules, rules and still more rules that had to be obeyed’.  When, aged 17, he was asked by his mother if he wanted to go to university, his reply was: ‘No, thank you. I want to go straight from school to work for a company that will send me to faraway wonderful places like Africa or China.’

African adventures

Roald’s first job with an oil company sent him to work first in Kenya, and then Tanzania. In Tanzania, Roald saw many wild and dangerous animals, including lions, rhinos and hyenas, but it was the snakes he feared the most.

Flying ace

Roald joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) in Kenya at the outbreak of the Second World War, and became a fighter pilot. Unfortunately, he crash-landed in the Western Desert of North Africa and was badly injured.

I Spy!

After being discharged from the RAF, Roald became a British Intelligence Officer (a spy!), passing on important information to the government. He worked alongside another spy, Ian Fleming, who later became famous for his James Bond 007 series. 

Becoming an author

In 1961, Roald Dahl’s first novel for children, ‘James and the Giant Peach’, was published. In total, he wrote 20 children’s books – 17 fiction books and three poetry books.

Do not disturb!

Roald had a small hut at the bottom of his garden where he would go to write. It contained a battered old armchair and a table of strange mementos, including a silver ball made from old chocolate wrappers, and a piece of his own hip bone that was removed during an operation!

Ten Fun Facts about Roald Dahl

  1. Roald’s parents named him after the Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen, who was the first man to reach the South Pole, in 1911.
  2. In Norwegian, Roald’s name is pronounced ‘Rooo-al’, with a silent ‘d’.
  3. When he was a child, he had two pet mice called Marmaduke and Montague.
  4. As an adult, Roald was 2 metres tall.
  5. He could speak three languages, English, Norwegian and Swahili, the official language of Kenya and Tanzania.
  6. Roald’s first ever piece of published writing was an account of his plane crash during the Second World War.
  7. Roald invented over 250 new words (there is even a special Oxford Roald Dahl Dictionary).
  8. According to his teachers at school, Roald was never very good at writing.
  9. September 13th, 2020 would have been his 104th birthday.
  10. Roald wrote for four hours every day. He did not want his children disturbing him while he was in his writing hut, so he told them wolves lived there!

Download lots of fabulous Roald Dahl resources for FREE from PlanBee’s Roald Dahl resource collection.

New books receive funding from Scots Language Publication Grant

Nine new books in Scots have been awarded funding by the Scots Language Publication Grant.

Now in its second year, the Scots Language Publication Grant was created by the Scots Language Resource Network to support Scots publishers and to encourage Scots writers. It is funded by the Scottish Government and administered by Scottish Book Trust, the national charity changing lives through reading and writing.

Applications were assessed by a panel with expertise in Scots and publishing, including a writer and representatives from Creative Scotland, Education Scotland and Publishing Scotland.

The successful titles are:

  • The Itchy Coo Book of Grimm’s Fairy Tales by Saviour Pirotta, illustrated by Emma Chichester Clark, translated by Matthew Fitt and James Robertson (Itchy Coo/Black & White Publishing)
  • Duck Feet by Ely Percy (Monstrous Regiment Publishing)
  • The Leerie by Stuart Armstrong & Joseph Daly (Leerie Press)
  • A Nicht Afore Christmas by Irene McFarlane & Rosemary Cunningham (Tippermuir Books)
  • Ghost Polis by Matthew Fitt, 
  • But N Ben a Go Go (audiobook) by Matthew Fitt, 
  • Scotsaga by Donald Smith,
  • A Short Story Collection in Scots by Gerda Stevenson and The Classics in Scots by William Imray Brown(Luath). 

The Scots Language Publication Grant provides assistance for publishing new work (including translated texts), reprinting existing historical or culturally significant work, and also effective marketing and promotion of existing and new work.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney, said: “The Scottish Government is a strong supporter of our indigenous languages, including Scots.

 “We want to support those who wish to learn and use the language and access new and exciting reading materials. These books are for adults and children, encouraging a love of Scots from an early age.

 “We have invested £30,000 funding towards the Scottish Book Trust grant for publishers. This is the second year that we have supported the grant and it is hoped it will foster the development of new writers.”

Rhona Alcorn, CEO of Scottish Language Dictionaries and Chair of The Scots Language Resource Network, said: “The Scots Language Resource Network is incredibly proud of this grant.

“By helping Scots publishers publish new work in Scots, we directly influence the number of titles on the Scots language shelves of libraries and book shops, real and virtual. For those for whom Scots is a first or subsequent language, this broadening of choice is immensely gratifying.”

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “It’s fantastic to see a diverse range of titles receiving the Scots Publication Grant: from classic fairy tales to brand new zines.

“Our thanks to the Scottish Language Resource Network for their excellent recommendations, and to the Scottish Government for funding this programme which helps to support publications in the Scots language.”

A Short Story Collection in Scots is by Gerda Stevenson, anaward-winning writer, actor, theatre director and singer-songwriter. She has worked on stage, television, radio, film and in opera, throughout the UK and abroad.

Gerda Stevenson said: “I look forward to the challenge of another creative journey into the unknown with the supple Scots language, and appreciate the support of this grant.” 

Scotsaga will be a bold reinvention in one interlinked narrative of Norse sagas, myths, folktales and legends connected with Scotland.

Donald Smith said: “I am honoured to receive support from the Scots Publication Grant fund. I want to show how Scots takes us into new areas of cultural expression and linguistic virtuosity. I hope that Scotsaga will intrigue readers and sustain the role of Scots as an international literary medium.”