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GIVE A BOOK for Book Giving Day

You can celebrate International Book Giving Day this Saturday 14th February in lots of different ways:  Leave a book in a waiting room for a child to find, give a book to your local playgroup, or get involved with charity, Give a Book which helps encourage disadvantaged children to build their love of reading.

Adeela Khan of Give a Book explains what they do.  Read on to see how you can get kids reading.

Give a Book is a UK based charity that started in 2011 with the sole aim of giving books where they will be of particular benefit. Our core belief is that to pass on a good read-to give someone a book-is a transaction of worth. We provide practical solutions to help disadvantaged people in local areas by working with schools, the local community and partnering with other organisations to provide books to encourage an enjoyment of reading.

Our books go directly to schools and a range of charities, including the following: Age UK, Beanstalk, First Story, Maggie’s Centres, Community Fostercare & Six Book Challengers.

One of our latest projects is the Magic Breakfast Book Clubs http://www.magicbreakfast.com/about-magic-breakfast/magic-breakfast-book-clubs

Working with Magic Breakfast we set up a pilot scheme—books for breakfast for primary school children, hungry in all sorts of ways. We gave 100 new books, notebooks and pencils to a  school located in an area where 73% of children were from income deprived households. Now the children are enjoying the new books and it is helping them engage more with reading and literacy in a more fun environment.

After the success of the pilot, we now have 10 Book Clubs up and running with more in the pipeline. There is a continuing need, as there are growing numbers of pupils in areas where books and reading are not part of their everyday home life and the clubs fill a gap to encourage more reading for pleasure.

Comments from some of our recipient schools:

Reaction from the children has been very positive, they were very excited to get the new books, pencils and notebooks. The system we use is like a lending library, the breakfast club runs daily between 8.15 – 8.45am with about 25 children attending. The books are available at the Breakfast club for the children to browse, choose one, sign it out and take it home, notes are written in the notebook about the books they liked. Year 6 children are enjoying the responsibility of being Magic Breakfast book club monitors and help sign the books borrowed in and out. It’s a great initiative, thank you!’

“The books from ‘Give a Book’ have been very much appreciated by the children and their families. Books are not always a high priority for many of our families; so it is good to know that the children have received quality books appropriate to their age and level. Teachers have loved the fact that they have had the opportunity of being able to choose books which relate to a topic or an author they have been studying …. which has meant that the children may be more motivated to read.”

 We have also given books to every child in a school for excluded children, where there were no books at all,   we have been able to stock a library in a school that had none and have given books to First Story for their festival, and gifted each participating pupil an individual book for Christmas.

Every £5 donation gives a book to someone who really needs one. It’s easy, simply donate via our website www.giveabook.org.uk and we will do the rest. We use donations to source new books at cost price, then package and post the books to the various charities and schools.

If you are looking for a great excuse to pass on that good read, make a donation and help someone else enjoy the pleasure of books, because reading really does matter!

What will you do to celebrate Book Giving Day?

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