World Book Day release


FEBRUARY 2003

'READING AROUND THE WORLD' PROJECT LINKS UP CHILDREN IN ELEVEN COUNTRIES ON WORLD BOOK DAY, THURSDAY 6TH MARCH 2003

Book Aid International have planned a major international initiative to take place on World Book Day this year. Ten libraries in the UK have been paired up with libraries in ten developing countries. Each will host an event that brings local children together to celebrate reading.

Anne Fine, Children's Laureate

 told us, 'This is just what reading projects should be about! It's a wonderful way of using World Book Day to forge links between young readers from all around the world - from Palestine to the Caribbean and from Malawi to Nepal.'

On World Book Day children from four continents will be doing shared activities and reading from the same book. Each UK library has been linked with one in the developing world (see events listing below) and children at the twinned events will exchange information about their hopes and aspirations and the books that they enjoy reading.

The project book that forms the basis for the children's activities is 'A Life Like Mine', published by Dorling Kindersley, in association with UNICEF. 'A Life Like Mine' celebrates the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child and illustrates the different lives of children all around the world. Global citizenship issues are explored through sections looking at children's rights under the headings of 'survival', 'development', 'protection' and participation'.

Events such as these also have an important role to play in encouraging a love of reading among children, both in this country and abroad. Masialeti Simenda of Zambia Library Service told us, 'Once children come to love reading they are likely to continue using books and libraries later on in life both for leisure and to learn valuable job skills for economic development'

Notes to Editors:

A survey into the reading habits of children in the UK and in the developing world has been conducted as part of this project. The results will be announced on World Book Day.
  • Book Aid International is a designated charity for the World Book Day event in the UK. £67,000 was raised in support of its work on World Book Day in 2002.
  • Dorling Kindersley have sponsored this project and provided 500 free copies of 'A Life Like Mine'. Website: www.dk.com/alifelikemine
  • UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) is the leading global rights organisation working specifically for children and their rights. 'A Life Like Mine' explores how these rights are met in many different countries.  Website: www.unicef.org
  • The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) are coordinating UK libraries' involvement in this project. Website: www.cilip.org

    • Reading Around the World Event Details
    Details of events to be held on World Book Day, 6th March 2003. The events listed in the left hand column are twinned with those in the right hand column.

    Westminster, Paddington Library

    A range of activities exploring other countries and cultures are planned for the week of World Book Day. Events will focus on the library's link country of Palestine and will involve children from the local Arabic community. A storyteller will read tales in Arabic and English to children in the library.

    Palestine, British Council Libraries in Ramallah & Gaza

    The books will be divided between two events for refugee children in Ramallah and Gaza libraries. The British Council libraries provide a safe haven for refugee children away from the politics and violence on the streets. These events will focus on building an understanding of diversity and promoting peace. Local authors and storytellers will take part.

    Birmingham, The Centre for the Child

    An all day event is planned with a junior school and a high school group. Children will learn words from tribal languages spoken in Malawi and will also listen to Malawian music and stories. George Silya, a librarian from Malawi National Library Service, visiting Book Aid International, will also attend the event. Children will make 'Life Hands' by cutting out a template of their hands and writing on these what and where they like to read.

    Malawi National Library Service, Lilongwe

     SOS Children's Village
    The Malawi event will take place in the SOS Children's Village for orphans in Lilongwe. Popular local comedians Jacob and Isaac will host the event that will be publicised through Malawian television and radio. The 'Reading Around the World' event will help to boost Malawi National Library Service's work in the field of reading promotion.

    Hull, Bransholme Library

    Hull is twinned with Freetown and this is the first opportunity for the library to establish links with their twin library in Sierra Leone. They will run a day time event with local school children who are involved with the teenage reading group or with their 'homework zone' project in Bransholme Library.

    Sierra Leone Library Board, Freetown Children's Library

    Orphans, refugees and children from local primary schools will be invited to take part in the event together at the Freetown Children's Library. The library will use the set of books to run similar events with other groups of children after World Book Day. They run a range of programmes to encourage reading for pleasure among Freetown's children to help improve literacy levels.

    Gloucester, Central Library

    A 'desert island books' event is planned for the morning of World Book Day with children from the Islamic School. Afternoon events will involve children from a range of local schools looking at 'A Life Like Mine' alongside traditional stories from around the world.

    Nepal, Rural Education and Development project (READ)

    The Community Library in Juhwani, in rural Nepal, are hosting the event and are inviting children from local primary and secondary schools to attend.

    Slough, Central Library

    Local primary school children are each adding a sentence to an evolving story throughout the day. There will be a reading of folk tales from Guyana. Participants will also write messages to children in Guyana on foot-shaped pieces of paper to create a 'steps to friendship' memento of the day.

    Guyana, National Children's Library

    Children aged 8-10 from Georgetown's primary schools will take part in an event hosted by reading teachers from those schools.

    Scotland, Achiltibuie Library

    Mairi Hedderwick, author of the Katie Morag books, will come along on World Book Day to talk to local children and work with them on their letters and drawings for Uganda. The event will take place in the morning at Achiltibuie Library, in a remote highland village located in the mountains north of Ullapool. The library is open for just five hours a week but this doesn't stop the local children being very enthusiastic readers!

    Uganda, Public Library Board

    Local primary school children will be invited to an event in Kaborole Public Library in Fort Portal, in western Uganda. They are keen to take part in this event which offers young readers an opportunity to participate in an international reading network. The Kaborole District Commissioner has been invited along.

    Leicestershire, Birstall Library

    Children from two local primary schools will be invited to a morning event including African music as well as an exciting competition. Paul Zulu, a librarian from Zambia Library Service visiting Book Aid International, will also attend the event.

    Zambia Library Service, Choma Provincial Library

    This library in Choma, Zambia has been very active in previous reading promotion events but the local school children are particularly excited about this one! Zambia library service are committed to promoting a love of reading among the children of Zambia.

    Folkstone Library, Kent

    Children and teenagers starting new lives in this area, some of whom have been separated from parents, will come along to this event to share their hopes and aspirations.

    Ethiopia, Sebetta Community Library

    Primary school children from Sebetta will take part in the event, which will be used as an opportunity to promote reading and to increase interest in the work of the community library.

    Derby, Peartree Library

    A daytime event will bring local school children together to hear African stories and take part in a quiz about Zimbabwe. Extra activities include tasting African fruits, looking at African musical instruments and learning about Zimbabwe.

    Zimbabwe, City of Harare Libraries

    Local orphanages and inner-city primary schools will attend an event in one of the branch libraries. The event will be hosted by a local author or storyteller and a TV/radio personality.

    Watford, Central Library

    Children from Laurance Haines School will meet players from Watford Football club at a morning event on World Book Day. Library staff will be dressing up in costume to celebrate the day.

    Tanzania, Dar es Salaam Central Library

    Children from local primary schools and orphans from the Dogo Dogo centre will take part. The Minister of Education and Culture and the Minister of Women's Development and Child Welfare are being invited to attend.

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