Once Upon A Time At BG...On Thursday 4 March, a group of special guests will read excerpts from popular children's books to celebrate World Book Day. Their audience will be comprised of children from three local primary schools, with a view to encourage more adults to participate in leisure reading with children.
Local Children's author Lesley Berrington will be reading from her highly successful 'Hattie and Friends' books. She will be joined by Lincolnshire Echo Deputy Editor Martin Mammatt, Graham King from community radio station Siren FM and BG Principal Professor Muriel Robinson, amongst others.
World Book Day was designated by UNESCO as a worldwide celebration of books and reading, and is marked in over 100 countries around the globe. It is the biggest annual celebration of books and reading in the UK and Ireland, with the main aim to encourage children to explore the pleasures of books and reading.
The importance of reading with children has been the subject of much research in recent years. A recent survey carried out by researchers at the Centre for Longitudinal Studies at the Institute of Education, found that children whose parents read with them every day at the age of three were more likely to do well in their first year of primary school, advancing by at least two months in their language, literacy and maths skills.
The Millennium Cohort Study, which will keep tracking the children until they reach the age of 11, follows around 19,000 children born at the start of the 21st century, building a picture of their birth and early childhood to try to gauge the long-term impact of their formative years.
Professor Muriel Robinson, Principal: "I am really excited that we are having an event which lets children see a whole range of adults enjoying children's literature. We have known for a long time that story has a central place in our culture and that children who share stories with their parents and other significant adults do better not just in reading and writing but in all areas that require abstract thought- it is not a million miles from 'once upon a time' to 'let's pretend x=3'. World Book day is a marvelous reminder of the power of story in our lives - what more fitting way to mark it than by sharing stories together?"
During the World Book Day event at BG, there will also be a story-telling workshop for the children, run by BG Drama in the Community student Dan Wakefield. The children attending the event will be from Ellison Boulter Primary School, Our Lady of Lincoln Primary School and the West Grantham Federation of Schools.
