Frequently asked questions
How are packs delivered?- The Bookstart for Babies and Bookstart Plus packs are usually delivered to families by their health visitors, for babies at around 7-9 months and toddlers aged between 18-30 months respectively. My Bookstart Treasure Chest is then gifted to 3-4-year-olds at early years settings such as nurseries and playgroups.
Parents and carers can also obtain all three packs for their children from their local library.
- Where does funding come from?
- It is a three-way partnership. Central funding in England comes from the DfES and DWP via the Sure Start Unit (the devolved administrations fund Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales). We have sponsorship support from a range of children’s book publishers and booksellers and Bookstart is delivered via libraries, health visitors and early years professionals who give the packs to the parents and carers.
- What are the benefits accrued from Booktrust being an independent charity?
- As a charity Booktrust does not make a profit so materials are sourced at very competitive prices and this keeps our costs very low. For instance, central funding from the taxpayer is only 25% of the retail cost of delivering Bookstart. This is thanks to our sponsors and to our charitable status.
- Are books sourced locally?
- Booktrust does not publish books. Publishers in the UK are invited to submit books for consideration of inclusion in the packs. These books are produced in a number of countries. Bookstart packs contain a number of printed items eg guidance books, book plate stickers and number friezes - all of these components are produced in the UK.
- How are the books chosen?
- There is a Bookstart book panel made up of book experts librarians, health visitors and early years professionals.
- How many publishers are involved and how are they chosen?
- All publishers, however small, are invited to submit books for consideration. At the last panel we had books from 26 publishers.
- How can publishers submit books to be included in the Bookstart pack or in the Booklist?
- Contact Bookstart and your book will be considered in the next round of selections. See Contact Us.
- Are books available in other languages?
- Bookstart provides dual language books and guidance materials which are available in 26 languages.
- Does Bookstart offer anything in between the three packs?
- The three Bookstart packs all contain invitations to join the library and many libraries offer Bookstart Rhymetimes and the Bookstart Book Crawl. Babies just one day old can join a library! So if parents join their children to the library, there are plenty of opportunities and activities available to parents and children between the packs.
- Which packs contain book tokens?
- The £1 book token is available in the two additional packs, but not the first baby pack.
The Bookstart Plus for 18-month-olds, and My Bookstart Treasure Chest, aimed at three year-olds, are distributed via early years settings. - Parents may also ask at their local library for further information.
- Are these book tokens accepted in all bookshops?
- Waterstones, Ottakars, Borders, Books Etc, WHSmith and Blackwells all accept the tokens, as do hundreds of independent shops.
