Selkirk girl catches the Bookbug
Published 3 Jan 2012 09:30
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FOUR-YEAR-OLD Niamh Crawford is the first youngster at Selkirk Library to get her certificate for completing Bookbug's Reading Challenge.
Bookbug encourages parents and children to share and enjoy books together. Bookbug Sessions - lasting around 30-40 minutes - and Bookbug's Library Challenge are free for all young library members.
Free book packs provided by the Scottish Book Trust are given to children at around six weeks, 18 months and three years old along with guidance materials for parents and carers.
Niamh has been taking part in both the Bookbug Sessions and the Library Challenge, getting her collector card stamped each time she visited the library to borrow a story or picture book. She exchanged every four stamps for one of five different and beautifully-illustrated Library Challenge certificates.
Gill Swales, Scottish Borders Council's Young People's Services Co-ordinator, said: "Niamh comes to the Bookbug sessions and is very enthusiastic about the rhymes and stories she enjoys as part of the group. She also comes in with her mum every Friday morning and chooses her books prior to going to the Deli for a croissant and milk!"
Scottish Borders Council libraries work with NHS Borders and Early Years staff to help children develop a lifelong love of books. Children benefit through improved speech and language development along with an improvement in their confidence and social skills.
Councillor Graham Garvie, the local authority's Executive Member for Culture, Sport and Community Learning, said: "The importance of introducing books to children as early as possible is now recognised and libraries in the Borders play their part in encouraging parents and carers with babies and young children to develop the reading habit by promoting Bookbug, the Early Years Programme. Libraries have a range of books for children of all ages, as well as for parents."
This article appeared in Border Telegraph 03 Jan 12
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