Archive for the Category »Children’s Books «

Summer Reading Challenge 2012

Can you read six books over the summer holidays?

The Summer Reading Challenge for 2012Your local libraries are running this great challenge for children aged 4 – 11 years over the summer of 2012 – watch out for Story Labs events during the summer months.

All you have to do is read six books over the holiday. Libraries taking part are linking their promotions to some great events and there are prizes too!

The trailer below tells you more…

You can see more about the Summer Reading Challenge on the web pages of The Reading Agency here.

There are 97% of the  libraries in the UK sharing the event – so there’s bound to be one near you and your family.

Happy summer reading…. 

We Give Books – read online and give…

wegivebookLogoThe We Give Books web site is a great tool for children, families and carers to share a good book together and do some good.

A project by The Pearson Foundation, We Give Books is based on a very simple idea. Just go to the web site and read a book online. When you have finished you will be asked to submit your email address and the Foundation will donate an actual book to their current projects across the world.

Totally brilliant! The Pearson Foundation should donate their one millionth book this week. Why not add your book to the enormous pile already been given away.

We often take our resources for granted, with the simple act of reading a book and having that book available to read, often way out of reach for millions of children.

We Give Books is one way to alter the balance, to make great books for others more readily available.

After confirming your email address as part of the process you can then volunteer to formally join the We Give Books programme for regular updates, special book offers and project news.

We Give Books – help contribute to the lives of so many other people.

World Book Day: 1st March 2012

World Book Day is nearly upon us for 2012. You can find some great resources on the The World Book Day web site for children of all ages.

This year you will soon be able to download a free World Book Day ‘app’ from the appStore – with exclusive short stories from Malorie Blackman, Anthony Horowitz and a whole load of other authors too.

There are all the usual resources for children, schools and libraries from the World Book Day website – with activity sheets, lesson plans and news about the latest books – for Nursery and Pre-school, Primary and Secondary school children too.

This year you can watch some great trailers and and see authors talking about their books too.

You can also enter a Design a Bookmark competition, with prizes for children up to 8 years, 9-12 years and 13-16 year olds.

worldbookdaypicSmall

Don’t forget you can use your World Book Day voucher to get some great books for just a Pound from a participating bookshop.

Get celebrating the book together – the World Book Day website is a great place to start!

Lion, witches and audio

You can find an entire audio book reading of The Chronicles of Narnia online.

Located on a faith based U.S. web site, you can listen on-line or download the entire series to your computer. The books are read by an English academic, based in America, and the download web site offers you a chapter list, so that you can keep track if you use the site for on-line bed time stories.

This is another way to keep the Narnia stories fresh for another generation, or just a new way to revisit old favourites.

The Chronicles were written by the writer C. S. Lewis, between 1949 and 1954, developed as stories to portray Christian ideals to children. The stories have endured, however, for children of all faiths and ages. You can read more about C.S. Lewis here…

Whatever age you are, this is a great way to re-engage with Witch and the Wardrobe.

You can listen to a  sample opening chapter here… 

Get all the chapters as MP3 audio files here. 

Lunch Bites in Kings Lynn

sandwichPic44Kings Lynn library have just introduced a new March 2012  initiative – Lunch Bites.

Why not visit the library with your lunch, if you are busy. You can sign up as a member, or if you already belong, find a quiet corner to select a book and have your break.

Lunch Bites, what a great idea.

Libraries could also introduce after school ‘Read and Rest’ sessions, making best use of a quiet corner or reading den in a library space.

What about having a ‘Saturday Space’ in a library, a corner dedicated to weekend reading together for families. (The events could be themed, or linked to the curriculum of local schools).

Get imaginative in your library during March. You can see the Kings Lynn Library opening times here.

Story Sack Project comes to Marham…

Help with getting your children to read.

Fun making objects to support your storytelling.

Make their imaginations visible!

We think you’ll love it – have a look at our Story Sacks Project page for more details about the events starting in May 2011.

Are you strong?

Can you help in our Community Library?We are moving some furniture and books around in the library!

If we could get some helpful volunteers to support us in this process that would be great. Our aim is to improve accessibility to our books and library services, as well as give you some more space to sit, read and think whilst you’re in our space.

If you can help (…you don’t need to be Charles Atlas really…) thank you so much.

Please make contact with Sam in the libary to arrange how we can work together as a team on the world of books.

Sam’s Selection – featured author this month

The writer and photographer Ifeoma OnyefuluIfeoma Onyefulu is a children’s author, photographer and writer from Nigeria.

Currently living in London, Ifeoma travels widely, particularly in Africa, to get ideas and stimulation for the writing of her books.

Using her photographic skills, Ifeoma creates wonderfully illustrated stories for children, which echo the landscapes and cultures that she has travelled through.

Ifeoma travels with her children and her camera.  Her photo-stories shine a light on the people she meets and offer us the reader, a great insight into other cultures, countries and people.

You can read more about Ifeoma’s work on her web page… http://www.ifeomaonyefulu.co.uk/

Ifeoma has recently completed a lengthy trip to Timbuktu and has a blog about her experiences of travel, writing and her photography. You can read her blog here...

 

World Book Day

Don’t forget that March 3rd is World Book Day 2011.

The project has a great web site, packed full of ideas, particularly for children. The web pages also contain some great reading and learning resources for children, both pre-school and primary school children.

Have you got an event planned, or does your local school? Then catch up with this years events here

Welcome to our Library Blog

Getting the most from books as a family

I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library…

Jorge Luis Borge – Argentine writer, poet and essayist.

 

These are the new web pages for the Community Library at Marham designed to stimulate your interest in good writing and to help the imaginations of the younger members of our community to grow.

Whether you like new fiction, old favourites or your children are passionate about great stories, meeting authors or finding new picture books – we will feature them all here on our pages.

We will have our regular features too. Sam’s Selection – what’s interesting at the moment in our library. Our featured author post, as well as news of library events around and about in the County.

Of course, we won’t forget parent and carer reading and intend to feature some great web links to help you and your family become a ‘reading family’ too.

We are moving some of our furniture and books to make for a more accessible space in the library. Watch these pages for news of new projects and events around books and family reading.

See you in the library…