Create a buzz about books

A free online library of stories and a competition to ignite a lifelong love of reading.

A free online library of stories and a competition to ignite a lifelong love of reading. It’s no wonder children’s author Jeremy Strong is so excited about Read for My School…

Last month saw the launch of Read for My School, the new national schools reading competition from The Pearson Foundation and Booktrust, with support from the Department for Education. The event, which was held at The Telegraph Bath Festival of Children’s Literature, saw a passionate speech from the competition’s spokesperson, Jeremy Strong. In the extract opposite, the popular children’s author explains why reading for pleasure is so crucial and how Read for My School can help support teachers in getting their pupils to do so.

The launch also featured pupils from Oldfield Park Junior School who performed eight atmospheric poems they had written about each of the competition categories – from which children will be challenged to read books when they take part in Read for My School next January. One of the poems that proved to be a hit with the audience, which included MP for Bath, Don Foster and Horrible Histories illustrator, Martin Brown, is published opposite.

CHILDREN’S AUTHOR JEREMY STRONG CALLS FOR CHILDREN TO LEARN TO ENJOY READING THROUGH READ FOR MY SCHOOL…

There is a growing chorus asking for more pleasure in children’s reading – but who are they asking? The answer is all of us: authors, publishers, teachers, the whole education system and of course, parents. Being able to read and enjoy reading is probably the most important and useful tool you can give a child – it will be with them for the rest of their life. I write funny stories for those just ready to become independent readers because I believe that they make learning to read more fun, and therefore more enjoyable and easier. Certainly this is what many teachers and parents have told me and what I observed when I was a primary school teacher.

I guess that as a writer one expects to receive a bit of fan mail from children and of course I do, though it can be a bit suspect. I received a letter last week that began: Dear Jermy, I think your book KRAZY KOW SAVES THE WORLD is the best book in the world. The next sentence was: I haven’t read KRAZY KOW SAVES THE WORLD yet but if I did, etc. However, I never expected to get mail from parents and teachers too, but it comes in regularly, all on the same theme.

My child wasn’t reading, wasn’t interested, thought it was boring or a chore, then they picked up one of your books and they were off. Obviously this must happen to other writers too but for me this kind of reaction is as important and valuable as getting paid for making things up.

We know that reading is the greatest foundation stone to learning throughout one’s education years, and therefore we stress the importance of learning to read. But children learn to read faster when they read for pleasure – and the starting point for that is listening for pleasure – at bedtime, with Mum or Dad, partner or stepparent listening without the threat of ‘now it’s your turn to read’ hanging over them.

Even a few words can have a profound effect. Take this poem by Ogden Nash for example:

Reflections on parsley
Parsley
Is gharsley.

That’s it. Brilliant! That poem is only three words long but it changed my life and if I hadn’t read it maybe I wouldn’t be evangelising about reading today. Now it just so happens that I was planning my own initiative on reading. I was going to print 100,000 leaflets with Ogden Nash’s ‘Reflections on Parsley’ printed on them and drop them by air over the UK. I am so pleased I don’t have to do that now because Read for My School is such a fabulous and important initiative. It’s based on the idea that the more you enjoy reading – the more it inspires you, makes you guffaw, or cry, or exclaim, or scratch your head – the more you’ll want to read.

Our island is small but I believe it not only produces more books than any other country in the world, but also the majority of the best children’s books in the world. We have an amazing resource for our children to tap into, through schools, libraries and books at home. No matter what the digital age brings us by way of entertainment, children will always need to read, and if we can make that reading a pleasure then their lives will be so much the richer, wiser and more informed. So getting good books into schools is of paramount importance.

When I was a teacher every school I worked in was always short on books. There are so many claims on the school budget and books often get overlooked so if I was still a teacher the chance to win FREE books for my school would get me signing up to Read for My School at once. And, if I was still a kid (well in truth I probably am inside,) I’d be jumping at this chance to Read for My School with my friends and win prizes. One hundred thousand free books – that’s an awful lot of pleasure! I’m delighted to endorse this project.