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Lots of authors, illustrators and publishers are using social media to support children reading for pleasure at home. Here are some of our favourites to start you off….

• Watch the inimitable Basil Brush reading Sadsville by Martin Roberts. Plus, you can download a fun home school work book from Martin’s website here
• Embark on an adventure with Little Red Riding Hood and the cheeky wolf with this free Once Upon an Adventure activity pack from the British Library
• Podkin One Ear author Kieran Larwood has created a fantasy map-drawing video for all you Podkin fans out there – that includes us too!
• Visit #SaveWithStories to hear a great selection of celebrity reads including David Tennant reading the Highway Rat by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.
• Julia and Axel have also produced twelve lovely illustrations of their favourite book characters to help young children understand social distancing.
• Also for younger children, Eoin McLaughlin and Polly Dunbar have released a video of their picture book While We Can’t Hug
• Axel Scheffler has also illustrated a free digital booklet about coronavirus aimed at primary school age children, published by Nosy Crow.
• Join more celebrities reading chapters of James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl on YouTube
• Cressida Cowell reading from This Rabbit belongs to Emily Brown and How to Train Your Dragon 
• Author Vashti Hardy  has some great fun home learning support on her website
• Draw along with illustrators Rob Biddulph #DrawWithRob 
• Author Robin Stevens will be posting Writing Prompt Mondays on her website
• There are some great free apps out there too. Try CBeebies Go Explore or the official YouTube Kids app and Scratch Junior coding fun for kids.
• For teachers, there are free resources for your classroom at Puffin Schools
• You can also check out publisher websites such as Chicken House  and Walker Books

Check out your favourite authors on You Tube, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and their websites too. You can also use #UnitedByBooks to find lots of reading activities and tips.

Have fun!

We want you to get the most out of your School Library Service.  As well as your topic loans, you can order a fiction loan and a class reader each term. You can also borrow story sacks and enhancement boxes to support your teaching.

Loan request forms

Loan request forms are sent to schools towards the end of each term and can also be accessed electronically:

• You can print a Fiction Loan Form here (or alternatively click here to submit an online form)
• You can print a Project Loan Form here (or alternatively click here to submit an online form)

E-mail forms to daisy.hogarth@knowsley.gov.uk  and  pauline.threlfall@knowsley.gov.uk

Alternately you can hand them to the School Library Service van driver.

You can find some helpful hints and tips for completing your form here

We aim to provide you with the best possible resources to support your teaching and we would welcome any feedback you may have about your loans.

You can find the latest information on deliveries and collections here

Author visits are a great way to enthuse children about books and to encourage them to read for pleasure. They help to widen children’s reading choices and to facilitate book ownership. Meeting a “real life” author can be both inspirational and motivational for the children, which is often reflected in their own writing.

We were delighted to have author Sophie Anderson visit us in September. Sophie visited 3 schools, engaging with with approximately 450 pupils and 101 books were sold on the day. “Sophie is my favourite author and I will never forget this moment” (Pupil from Malvern Primary)

We have the following authors booked for 2020;

• 4^th March 2020              Maz Evans
• 5th March 2020             Liz Kessler 
• 26th June 2020              Vashti Hardy

Look out for more author visits during the year

School Library Service can  support schools to deliver the Power Of Reading by providing copies of the core texts used to deliver the programme. We have a range of whole set class readers such as Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce, Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson and Wonder by R. J. Palacio. We also provide Learning to Read and Literacy Collections to align with each key stage – these are boxes of approximately 30 books with a range of titles from each core list.

We are in the process of updating our author packs to align with some of the key authors on the core list, such as Emily Gravett, David Lucas and Frank Cottrell Boyce. Plus, we are developing some thematic book packs to broaden discussion around the core texts; our Refugee Pack is now available to schools.

In addition to book resources, we can deliver training in school to increase teacher’s wider knowledge of high quality children’s literature. And we offer author visits to schools in conjunction with the public library service.

Developed by the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education (CLPE) the Power of Reading is a whole school development project aimed at raising attainment in reading and writing for all pupils. Using high quality children’s literature and creative teaching approaches POR engages both teachers and pupils in the literacy curriculum. You can find out more about the POR programme here

We are delighted to offer schools in Knowsley, Liverpool and Sefton the opportunity to accredit your school library via our National Award scheme.

The award is a self assessment process which is carried out by a designated member of school staff and endorsed by the Head Teacher. It is an audit of 20 key activities with supporting documentation where necessary. This is then submitted to the School Library Service for assessment.

The process is designed to be flexible and achievable for busy people. The assessment tool provides a measure of how well your school library is doing. It gives an snapshot of where your library is at the moment and enables you to plan for future progression. On completion, each school will receive a certificate to display in the school foyer and one for your school library.

If your school would like to work towards achieving the SLS-UK School Library Award, please contact us for an application pack. There is an administration fee of £50 for schools who subscribe to Knowsley School Library Service; £60 for non-subscribing schools who are members of the School Library Association or £70 for all other schools.

Here’s a reminder of some of the book related and other dates you may want to mark in your calendars

May 2023

All month – National Share-a-Story month National Share-a-Story Month

15th – 21st May – Mental Health Awareness Week

17th May – Shortlist for Klaus Flugge Prize for picture book illustration is announced Klaus Flugge Prize

June 2023

5th June – World Environment Day

8th June – Empathy Day Empathy Day 2023

15th June – Curtis Jobling author event for Knowsley schools

17th June – OU  Reading for Pleasure Conference OU RFP Conference

21st June – National writing Day National Writing Day 2023

22nd June – National Windrush Day

23rd-25th June – UKLA International Conference Writing Matters

26th-30th June – School Diversity Week

30th June – Phil Earle promotional book event for Knowlsey schools- venue to be confirmed

June – Shortlist for SLA Information Book Award announced

The National Literacy Trust has published the first research report to ever establish a link between literacy and life expectancy in England through health and socioeconomic factors. Download the report here

Chatterbooks is a flexible, six week extended school activity designed to encourage reading for pleasure. Ideal for small groups of up to 20 children in Key Stage 2. The sessions include fun and creative activities, plus lots of lovely books to choose from. Each child receives a Chatterbooks bag, reading diary and pen, plus other weekly incentives. It’s a great way to get children reading and talking about books. Our staff will deliver a themed session each week and provide a wide selection of up to date books for children to choose from.

The National Literacy Trust have produced an evaluation report which looks at the impact of Chatterbooks on children’s reading enjoyment, behaviour and attitudes. Chatterbooks

Exposure to stories can help develop early language and communication skills whilst enhancing the understanding of the world in which we live. Our extensive collection of quality picture books and other resources for early years ranges from board books to picture books; novelty books to rhyme time resources; story sacks and puppets, plus classic and contemporary tales.

Story Sessions in School

We offer a variety of themed story sessions in school settings tailored to individual requirements. The content of the sessions differ, and wherever possible puppets and other props are used to help underpin meaning. All stories, either old or new, are appropriate for the younger targeted audience and are always great fun.

“Thank you very much for the wonderful reading events…all children and staff enjoyed listening to the stories and joining in with the activities.” Miss S. Curtis, Prescot Primary

Bookstart

Bookstart is a national book gifting initiative from Booktrust aimed at early years children and their families.  Children are given a free book to take home with the aim of helping families to read together every day and to inspire children with a love of books. The Bookstart Baby Pack is gifted to children at 0-12 months by your Health Visitor. The Bookstart  Treasure Pack is gifted to children at 3-4 years via your school nursery. Both initiatives are co-ordinated by Knowsley Library Service.

You can find out more about the Bookstart programme at http://www.bookstart.org.uk/

Time to Read

Time to Read (formerly known as Booktime) is a national book programme for reception-aged children, providing a free book for every child aged 4-5 years, to share and enjoy with their family and friends. The aim is to inspire a lifelong love of reading by encouraging families to have fun reading together.

Thirty per cent of children in this country grow up in homes without a single book. The Time to Read initiative gives children the opportunity to have a book of their own to take home and treasure.

Time to Read is co-ordinated through Knowsley School Library Service and delivered direct to you school.

The importance of sharing stories doesn’t stop in the early years. Children who read with their families at home do better at school. So why not make “time to read” with children in classes across your school.

You can find out more about the Time to Read programme at http://www.booktrust.org.uk/programmes/primary/time-to-read