Roald Dahl still a great hit with children

Children across Leicestershire are still opting to read classic books written more than half a century ago by Roald Dahl, one of the world’s most famous children’s authors ever.  He is the fourth most borrowed author for children aged 9-11 years in Leicestershire.

Children in the county were busy reading over the summer and taking part in the Summer Reading Challenge which aimed to encourage children to read at least six books whilst on their school holidays.  Below are the top 10 Dahl books children borrowed from Leicestershire County Council’s Libraries Service last month in August:

1. The BFG
2. The enormous crocodile
3. Fantastic Mr Fox
4. Matilda
5. James and the giant peach
6. Charlie and the chocolate factory
7. Danny the champion of the world
8. The giraffe and the pelly and me
9. Esio trot
10. Charlie and the great glass elevator

The Summer Reading Challenge finished on Sat(10^th) and early indications are that over 14,000 children – more than ever before, took part in the challenge this year.  Over 1,400 children joined their local library in Leicestershire especially to take part in the challenge.

It’s Roald Dahl Day on Tuesday 13th Sept in honour of his birthday.

Coalville and Oadby Libraries are putting up a special display based on ‘James and the Giant Peach’ and children visiting the libraries next Tuesday, can join in with activities such as quizzes, a wordsearch and character card making based on the famous book.

Roll up to read with Circus Stars in Harborough

Kids can sample circus life for free at local libraries and sign up to a fun scheme that will keep them learning this summer.

 

Over 9,000 children across Leicestershire have already signed up to this year’s Summer Reading Challenge – Circus Stars 

 

In August there are special circus skills workshops at libraries in the Harborough area, where children can have a go at spinning plates, juggling and other circus activities.

 

These free workshops take place at Harborough Library on Friday August 5th in the afternoon and Lutterworth Library on Thursday 18th August from 2pm until 4pm. Pre-booking is essential.

 

There are also fun circus-based events at other libraries in the area. At Great Glen Library there is a Wriggly Reader session for under 5s on Thursday 4th August between 10.30 and 11am, and on Tuesday 9th August there is an activities afternoon entitled All The Fun Of The Circus for children and families. Both events are free.

 

There are also further All The Fun Of The Circus events at Market Harborough Library on Saturday 20th August between 11am and 3.30pm and again on Saturday 27th August, also between 11am and 3.30pm. For more information call Harborough Library on 0116 3053627.

 

Away from the circus, Lutterworth Library will be holding a Creative Writing workshop for children aged between 5 and 11 years led by an author. This event is also free but spaces are limited, so please contact the library on 0116 3053619 to book a place.

80th birthday for Resource Box

England’s longest running museum loan collection, the Resource Box in Leicestershire, is celebrating its 80th birthday this year, and a special display will be stopping off in Melton Library for the next few weeks for local people to come and view.

 

The full collection is one of Leicestershire County Council’s best-loved museum services, and lends a vast range of museum objects to schools, colleges and community groups, enabling anyone to get up close and personal with history and heritage.

 

The display at Melton Library runs until Monday July 25th and is free to view for visitors.

 

Also at the library there will be regular Wriggly Readers sessions every Tuesday and Thursday  10 – 10.30am. These free sessions are for children aged up to four years of age with their parents or carers.

 

9th July also sees the start of the Summer Reading Challenge, the theme of which for this year is Circus Stars.

Roll-up to your library and become a Circus Star!

Roll-up, roll-up and join in with the fun of the Circus at your local library and museum.  Leicestershire County Council’s libraries and museums have joined forces this year to bring Circus fun to children whilst encouraging them to read over the summer holidays.  From circus skills and creative writing workshops to a fantastic circus show, there will be something for everyone to enjoy.

 

The Summer Reading Challenge is the biggest national reading initiative and is coordinated by The Reading Agency. Last year around 13,741 children aged 4-12 years took part in the reading challenge in Leicestershire with more than 10,000 (75%) of them completing the challenge, the national completion rate is 57%.

 

This year it is being run in all libraries and mobile libraries in Leicestershire throughout the summer holidays, with incentives, activities and events designed to create a real buzz around children’s reading.  The challenge is simple – to read six or more library books over the summer.  It starts on Saturday 9^th July and finishes on Saturday 10^th September.  Children receive a free membership card and pop-up stage and as they read books throughout the summer they will collect characters to add to the stage.  All children completing the challenge will receive a Circus Stars certificate and reward.

Some of the highlights of the Summer Reading Challenge in Leicestershire include:

 

• Free creative writing workshops including family drop-in sessions at various libraries and museums on various days throughout the summer holidays.

 

• A circus skills extravaganza on Thursday 28^th July at Snibston Discovery Museum where visitors can try their hand at juggling, plate spinning and other circus skills. Drop in event – some activities are free, others require paid entry to the museum.

 

• A free family show on Thursday 18^th August at Snibston’s Century Theatre in Coalville featuring writer and entertainer, Nick Toczek and his wonderful one-man show including jokes, snappy poems, baffling magic tricks, fantastic tales, and wild and wilful puppets.  Tickets available from any county library.

• Free Circus Skills workshop in ten libraries throughout August.

Children who sign up to Circus Stars can get free entry to Snibston Discovery Museum and Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre when accompanied by a full paying adult.

 

Pre-booking is required for some events.  To find out more ask at your local library or museum or visit: www.leics.gov.uk/circusstars for a whole list of these and other events taking place.

Leicestershire libraries support Big Stinky Read!

Children are taking part in a sponsored readathon at Syston Library in Leicestershire to help set a record of reading the same book at the same time and to raise awareness about a local homeless charity. The event is taking place on Saturday 25^th June at 10.30am.

The readathon is part of an initiative supported by famous actor and writer David Walliams, whose book ‘Mr Stink’ is the inspiration behind the initiative.  The book is based around the life of a homeless man and the story involves a young girl in a hilarious adventure but it also says some positive things about how we can treat homeless and vulnerable people with dignity.

 

Some of Leicestershire County Council’s libraries are supporting the Big Stinky Read by hosting special events for local schools that have signed up for the challenge. Children from the schools are being sponsored to read Mr Stink over two weekends between 24th – 25th  June   and 2nd – 3^rd July.

 

Any funds raised by the children will be donated to Action Homeless, the Leicestershire based homeless charity.

 

Oadby, Syston, Stoney Stanton and Sapcote libraries will be taking part in this event and children from the schools are invited to come along to join in.

All Aboard for Bookstart fun

Young children and carers can take a trip to their local library and enjoy National Bookstart Week together, and pick up free packs of books for babies, toddlers and preschoolers.

 

This year’s Bookstart has a travel theme, and will focus on journeys, transports and flights of the imagination.

 

There are free events taking place at libraries around Leicestershire to encourage families to read together and have fun, including special Bookstart Wriggly Reader sessions for children aged four and under.

 

The free packs contain guidance for parents and carers on how their children can share and enjoy books. They can be claimed from your local Leicestershire library, children’s centre or from your health visitor. For more information click here.

The Bookstart events are taking place in the following libraries:

 

Enderby Library, Saturday June 4th, 11am – 12 noon

 

Syston Library, Monday June 6th, 10 – 10.30am

 

Birstall Library, Monday June 6th 10 – 10.45am

 

Glenfield Library, Monday June 6th 2.15 – 2.45pm

 

East Goscote Library, Tuesday June 7th 2.45 – 3.15pm

 

Loughborough Library, Tuesday June 7th 2.45 – 3.15pm and Thursday June 9th 2.15 – 2.45pm

 

Sileby Library, Wednesday June 8th 2.15 – 3.15pm

 

Oadby Library, Wednesday June 8th 2 – 2.30pm

 

Hinckley Library, Thursday June 9th 2 – 2.30pm

 

Coalville Library, Thursday June 9th 10.30 – 11am

 

Mountsorrel Library, Friday June 10th 10 – 10.45am

 

Ashby Library, Friday June 10th 10.30 – 11.30am

 

Children’s Dahl pictures to adorn library

The Twits, The Witches and The B.F.G. will be coming to Groby Library in the month of May, courtesy of schoolchildren at Martinshaw Primary School.

Year 5 and 6 pupils have been hard at work after being inspired by the weird and wonderful writings of Roald Dahl, and have come up with their own drawn and written work based on his creations.

These will be diplayed in the library from the 6th to the 31st of May and are free for all to come and see.

There is also a free Family Fun session at Groby Library on the 31st of May between 10am and 12noon, where families can turn up and join in with crafts, activities and stories.

At Hinckley Library there will be a family history session run at which local people can research their roots using parish records available at the library. This free event is being put on by the Hinckley Local Sudies Group and takes place on Tuesday 3rd of May between 2pm and 4pm.

Also at Hinckley Library there will be the regular coffee & chat session on Monday 9th May between 10am and 11.30am, the Knit & Stitch Group between 10.00am and 12noon on the 5th and 19th May and the weekly Wednesday Work Club from 11am until 2pm, which offers help with CVs, online job searches, applications, and interview techniques.

Also in the Hinckley & Bosworth area next month, staff at Newbold Verdon Library will be serving afternoon tea with bingo on Wednesday 11th between 3pm and 4.45pm, and a coffee morning on Friday 27th between 10am and 12noon, at which dog trainer Fiona Sangster will give a talk on guide dogs for the blind. Both events will cost £1 to attend, and include a drink, a biscuit and a raffle ticket.

And for people who want to get onto the world wide web but are not sure how, there will be a free Silver Surfer session at Earl Shilton Library on Friday 20th May between 10am and 11.30am. Places should be booked in advance on 0116 3058392.

Dirty Bertie wins local Children’s Book Prize

A story about a boy with digusting habits has been voted the winner of Leicestershire Library Services’ children’s book prize for 2010 by hundreds of children.

 

Dirty Bertie – Loo! by Alan MacDonald won the competition, which saw more than 2,500 Leicestershire children voting online and in libraries for their favourite book from a shortlist of 10 titles aimed at younger readers.

 

Leicestershire’s Children’s Book Prize was launched in October 2010 during national Children’s Book Week. The aim of the prize was to widen reading choices for younger readers and encourage them to read for pleasure.

 

The book prize has been promoted in schools and libraries across the county, with children between 7 and 9 years old taking part.

 

The book’s authour, Alan MacDonald, will be invited to attend a prize-giving in the New Year.

 

The runners up for the prize were:

2nd – Andy Cope for Spy Pups – Prison Break

3rd - Paul Fleischman for The Dunderheads

4th – Sophie Mckenzie for Time Train to the Blitz

 

For more information go to at www.leics.gov.uk/childrensbookprize, or contact Maggie Boyd, Development Librarian, on 0116 3053833 or email her at maggie.boyd@leics.gov.uk

Final chance for children to vote for their favourite book

There are just three weeks left for Leicestershire children to vote for their favourite book and be in with a chance of winning some fantastic prizes!  This is part of Leicestershire County Council’s Library Services’ 2010 Children’s Book Prize.

Library staff and local authors have been helping to promote the prize in schools and libraries across the county for the last two months and hundreds of children have been reading the titles from the shortlist. They now have until December 17th to vote for their favourite either at their local library or online at: www.leics.gov.uk/childrensbookprize

The schools that generate the most votes will have the chance to win £200 worth of new books and host the prize giving event in the New Year

The aim of the prize is to promote reading for pleasure and to widen reading choices for younger readers by increasing their awareness of recently published books written by real authors.

The books being considered for the prize are:

• The Pirate’s Treasure by Emily Bearn
• Prison Break – Spy Pups by Andy cope
• The Dunderheads by Paul Fleischman
• Madame Pamplemousse and her incredible edibles by Rupert Kingfisher
• Dirty Bertie – Loo! by Alan MacDonald
• Charlie and the haunted tent by Hilary McKay
• Time train to the Blitz by Sophie McKenzie
• Ghost Goblins by David Melling
• The Story of Matthew Buzzington by Andy Stanton
• Iggy and Me by Jenny Valentine

For more information please contact:
Maggie Boyd
Development Librarian
maggie.boyd@leics.gov.uk
0116 305 3833

Create your very own Superhero!

Leicestershire children will have the chance to bring their dreams to reality this half-term and create their very own Superhero.

 

Loughborough Library is hosting a drama workshop in which children can invent a superhero and imagine the powers that he or she can draw upon in times of need.  The children will then have the opportunity to write a play in which their hero comes to the rescue and saves the day!  They will have the chance to act out the play for any watching parents and guardians.

The workshop is taking place on Monday 18^th October from 2.30pm – 4pm.  It is for children aged between 6 and 10 years and costs £3 per child or at a discounted price of £5 for two children. 

The workshop is being run by The Big Moon Theatre Company on behalf of the library.

Places are limited so booking is essential.  For more information or to book a place, please visit Loughborough Library on Granby Street in Loughborough or call: 0116 3052427.

www.leics.gov.uk/libraries