Posted on 21st Feb
As part of World Book Day® celebrations, Mansfield Library will host a new event giving schoolchildren the chance to meet two of this year’s 15 World Book Day £1 authors – Rob Biddulph, author of Charlie McGrew and the Horse That He Drew, and Rex Stone (Jane Clarke), author of Dinosaur Club: On the Trail of the T.rex, illustrated by Louise Forshaw.
Elmer, the iconic colourful elephant, will also make an appearance.
The event – a partnership project between the charity and UK libraries, and funded by Arts Council England through its National Lottery Project Grants programme, and Julia and Hans Rausing – will take place on Friday, 23rd February, ahead of World Book Day’s annual celebration on Thursday, 7th March.
Another of Inspire’s libraries, Forest Town, will receive 1,200 free books (100 copies of the World Book Day £1/€1.50 books donated by their respective publishers), enabling the library to become an exchange hub during the token redemption period (15th February – 31st March) so that children can exchange their £1 World Book Day book token for a £1 book of their choice – for free.
The event is part of the charity’s mission to improve children’s access to books and provide them with opportunities to develop a lifelong habit of reading for pleasure.
Inspire: Culture, Learning and Libraries, which runs Mansfield Library on behalf of Nottinghamshire County Council, will also receive further funding to host a follow-up event between April and July, to encourage children to continue visiting the library and discover a love of reading.
Rob Biddulph said: “Given the importance of books to a child’s future prospects in life (we know for a fact that children who read succeed), it is vital that every child has access to them regardless of personal circumstance. That’s why the provision of libraries and, crucially, librarians is absolutely essential.
“The fact that every child in the UK has the opportunity to claim a free book via their World Book Day® £1 token is a huge step in the right direction, but we need that book, whichever book they choose, to be the gateway to an entire lifetime of reading. Hopefully, we can get this message across today and provide the spark that ignites that fire inside lots of children. I’m so proud to be a part of this event and can’t wait to get started.”
Jane Clarke added: “I can’t wait to share my enthusiasm about reading – and dinosaurs! It’s been a joy to write as Rex Stone, and I’m thrilled that On the Trail of a T-Rex was chosen as a World Book Day book. I hope young readers will join in the adventure, have fun, and really enjoy owning and reading their World Book Day book.”
Peter Gaw, chief executive of Inspire: Culture, Learning and Libraries, said: “We are excited to be one of the 20 libraries working with World Book Day this year to host local school children at Mansfield Central Library and have fun with books and reading. Reading is at the heart of Inspire and we celebrate the goal to give children the chance and choice to enjoy reading in our libraries across Nottinghamshire. We share the vision to support children to read for pleasure and actively implement the World Book Day principles through our services which support and encourage children to read at home and in school.”
Cassie Chadderton, chief executive of World Book Day, added: “With reading for pleasure is at its lowest level since 2005, our charity’s mission to change lives through a love of reading is more vital than ever. We are grateful to Arts Council England and Julia and Hans Rausing, and our partnering publishers for their generous support to help bring books to children across the country. Libraries are full of reading joy and discovery. We look forward to seeing more children enjoy their reading adventures with libraries this World Book Day.”
Visit www.worldbookday.com for more information.
