Birmingham’s Year of Reading is going to give every child in the city a book free. The Year of Reading was launched at the Ruddock Performing Arts Centre, with around 200 teachers gathered in the King Edwards School premises.
This initiative is to tackle the problem of children having no access to books at home, which could affect their future prospects. The project will be sending new library cards, of the Library of Birmingham, in bulk to schools. A bookseller has promised a choice of children’s books to help teachers choose a book for each of the 12,000 children in the 270 schools of the Birmingham Education Partnership. Every child would get a free book.
Ray Dyer, the managing director of Peter’s Books and Furniture, said they never hesitated when the Partnership approached them, as they knew literacy rates were low in the county and Birmingham. Their aim was to put a book into the hand of the child, which for some could be the first they ever owned, he added.
Headteacher of Sparkhill’s St. John’s Primary and vice-chair of the Partnership, observed that some of her children don’t have a book at home. So, children should be introduced to libraries, but every child should get an opportunity to own a book, she added. The Born and Read in Brun literacy campaign is being backed by the Birmingham Mail for the Year of Reading. For more details go to- birminghammail.co.uk/bornandread.
