| Newsletter for Bookstart scheme coordinators November 2007 | Download pdf 670Kb |  |
News from Bookstart
We have a name!
Well done to children’s librarian Alexis Dimyan for naming Bookstart’s new pack for deaf and hearing impaired children.
…and it’s called Bookshine! We had lots of great suggestions and we found this was the most suitable and reflective of the pack.
Alexis thought “that the name should capture the sense of illumination and wonder that books instill in us and deaf/hearing-impaired children can relate to” - and we couldn’t agree more!
We’re looking forward to distributing this new wonderful pack for deaf and hearing impaired children in 2008, so thank you all for your contributions.
A box of books and bottle of bubbly is on its way to Alexis, children’s librarian at Marsh Farm Library in Luton! Congratulations and thank you Alexis!
Book Crawl sticker cards
We have produced new smaller Book Crawl collector cards for you to order.
These smaller cards require children to collect four stickers only to pick up their Book Crawl certificate. They’re simpler to use and are a handy size for parents to keep in their purses / wallets for when they come along to the library.
Please note, you can still choose to order the larger ones as well.
You can find the new Book Crawl collector cards on the Bookstart website at - www.bookstart.org.uk/bookcrawl
There are also two brand new Book Crawl certificates available. Designed by Booktrust Early Years Award winners Polly Dunbar and Emily Gravett, the certificates are available in English and Welsh and ready to order.
Welcome to Mandeep
Mandeep Kalsi has now joined Lee as our new Bookstart Logistics Assistant.
Mandeep will be processing orders for materials through the Resources Catalogue, dealing with Bookstart Bear bookings, and answering general queries received through the website.
Welcome to the team, Mandeep.
Spotlight on Linda
‘Stay back or the bear gets it’ I expect Linda to say. I’ve caught her in mid-action - tape gun in one hand, Bookstart bear in the other.
I’ve just come down to the basement in Book House to have a chat with Linda Foskett, our operations guru. There I find boxes of small blue bears, badges, balloons and other items stacked on a large table in the centre of the room.
Behind them a flurry of activity, so I make a gentle coughing noise so as not to cause alarm.
Up pops Linda’s head, holding the tape gun to the Bookstart Bear’s head. The bear is spared and then neatly buried with its friends in the box, which is sealed and ready to go.
Linda’s been working at Bookstart for 6 years, dealing single-handedly with the stream of orders we receive every week for packs and other assorted materials that Bookstart produces.
With the National Bookstart Day mail-out nearly complete, it’s time to return to the usual day-to-day orders. There are Book Crawl certificates under the table, boxes of stickers and posters sitting on top, dual language booklets piled in order in the adjoining room and then the various packs neatly stacked shelf upon shelf – everything perfectly organized.
“It’s all in the preparation, you see”, Linda informs me. “Otherwise where would we be?”
I’m really not sure, to be honest, I reply as, with a whirl of the tape gun, another box is sealed and ready to be shipped out.
I offer to help hold the sides of another box, bears squeezed in a cosy clinch, as Linda shuts the lid and applies the label.
“I swear I’ll look like one of these bears by the time I’m finished!” she says. And with that she packs me off too.
Linda is an incredibly important cog in the smooth operation of Bookstart, and one we couldn’t do without. Thanks Linda.
Other news from Booktrust
New Director of Booktrust
Viv Bird stepped into the role as the new Director of Booktrust in September, taking over from Chris Meade.
Before heading Booktrust, Viv worked from 1994 at the National Literacy Trust, an independent charity that works with others to raise literacy standards in the UK. She was responsible for setting up the Trust’s database and information service and launching its quarterly magazine, Literacy Today. For three years, she was Director of the Literacy and Social Inclusion Project, a Basic Skills Agency National Support Project delivered by the National Literacy Trust. Viv was also Director of Reading Is Fundamental UK, a targeted reading initiative for children in areas of disadvantage across the UK.
Viv Bird says, “Bookstart is a wonderful programme and one that I’m so proud now to be involved in. Our scheme coordinators across the UK do vitally important work to help engender a passion for reading among young children. There is still a huge amount to achieve, however, but, with your support, Bookstart will make a significant contribution to children’s life chances for years to come.”
Booktrust Early Years Awards 2007
The winners of the 2007 Booktrust Early Years Awards were announced on 27 September at an awards ceremony held at BAFTA, Piccadilly, London.
Prizes were awarded in three categories:
Baby Book Award
Tucking In! by Jess Stockham (Child’s Play)
Pre-School Award
Penguin by Polly Dunbar (Walker)
Best Emerging Illustrator
Emily Gravett for Monkey and Me (Macmillan Children’s Books)
For more information about the prizes go to http://www.booktrust.org.uk/prizes/eya.php
The event also saw the launch of the Big Picture campaign whose aim is to find the best new illustrators in the UK.
Children’s Laureate Michael Rosen announced this new Booktrust initiative which will hopefully put picture books firmly in the public eye.
See http://www.bigpicture.org.uk/ for more.
Bookstars
News from Bookstart schemes around the country.
Giant Rhymeathon 
In July Greenwich Bookstart held a wonderful giant nursery rhymeathon in the grounds of the National Maritime Museum.
The rhymeathon is an annual outdoor sing-a-long for children under five years of age and their parents and carers. The main aim of the event is to encourage early rhyme and book sharing to support language development and to promote a love of books and rhymes (as well as to have a lot of fun!).
“Unfortunately that was the day we had torrential rain which caused all that flooding in parts of London! Nevertheless 280 children turned up to brave the weather and sang and danced their little socks off. The mayor joined in with Wheels on the bus – and we promoted Bookstart and distributed packs to everyone who hadn't yet got one” – Kallie Bosran, Greenwich coordinator.
Where can I get that bag!
Linda Holvey describes how the Bookstart bag has become the new must-have accessory of the season.
“I went to the Early Years Group (of CILIP) annual conference at the weekend and I decided to take my trusty Bookstart bag with me as it is so useful keeping things in and it is extra advertising for Bookstart.
“It worked! Had quite a few delegates who were from Schools Library Services or private schools who admired the practicality of the bag and asked what Bookstart was.
“However, the best bit was the presentation (or I should say the re-presentation) of the Carnegie and Greenaway medals as Mini Grey also carried the books she wanted to talk about in her Bookstart bag! So there she was up on the stage wearing the bag over her shoulder and
taking all the books in and out of it. Hurray! Delegates commented to me afterwards that they had noticed her bag because they had noticed mine earlier in the conference.
“Perhaps a bit of subliminal advertising but to borrow another slogan -
every little helps!”
Bookstart in Scotland conference
The Bookstart in Scotland conference was held in the magnificent Glasgow City Halls on 13 September. Thank you to Caroline and Helen for the wonderful organisation of a fantastic event which showcased to an enthusiastic audience the excellent progress being made by Bookstart in Scotland.
Highlights of the day included a live Bookstart Rhymetime on stage, demonstrating the Bookstart Rhymetime pilot project which has now been launched in Scotland. Thankfully parents and children loved every minute of it, as did the audience!
An informative session was held by Colwyn Trevarthern, a highly regarded Psychologist from Edinburgh University who provided an enlightening and entertaining insight into the mind of a baby (and showed how they are able to conduct their hand perfectly to a piece of music from a few weeks of age! Apparently a classically trained conductor couldn’t do better!).
We were also very lucky to have Julia Donaldson with us. Julia read us one of her wonderful stories and spoke about her interests in rhythm and rhyme and signed hundreds of books to everyone's delight!
Much fun was had at the workshops, which included more information on running Bookstart Rhymetimes, an interactive storyteller session, details on how to develop our Bookstart Treasure Chest and much more besides!
Thanks to all speakers, workshop leaders, stand holders and delegates for making it a day to remember!"
Caroline McLeod
BDM Scotland
Bookstart joins BBC RAW in Cardiff 
On Sat 15th Sept, Cardiff Bookstart took part in the BBC RAW Family Story Festival in Cathays Park, Cardiff.
RAW is the BBC's literacy campaign providing fun resources to engage adults and children who need confidence in reading and writing.
Bookstart Bear met Max and Lara, the BBC's characters featured in the Amazing Travelling Space Circus activity packs, not to mention storytellers Catrin Dafydd and David Doyle. The two-day event took place under a circus tent with partners- Libraries, Adult Education, the Genesis Project all sharing advice and resources to the public. Bookstart Bear enjoyed three fun rhyme/story sessions distributing various goodies- balloons, colouring-in books to the children and sharing his favourite stories.
Members of Cardiff Libraries along with Bookstart Coordinator, Margaret Holt, thoroughly enjoyed sharing in this venture.
New songs and rhymes CD from Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes Bookstart and local Sure Start have produced an excellent DVD called Stories Songs and Rhymes, which includes tips for practitioners and parents.
The DVD is for sale at £8 a copy.
Please email Michelle Herriman at michelle.herriman@Milton-keynes.gov.uk if you’d like more information.
Home-Start module
Bookstart has been working with Home-Start on a DCSF-funded project called the Early Learning Partnership Project (ELPP).
The ELPP project demonstrates different approaches to engage parents of children aged 1-3 who are at risk of learning delay and support them to get involved in their child's early learning. Home-Start is one of seven voluntary organisations delivering the project. It works with trained volunteers who have parenting experience to help local parents who need support.
Home-Start is now offering volunteers three extra modules of training – the third of which is called “Lets find out about Bookstart”.
Home-Start showcased the project at their National Convention in Edinburgh on 4th and 5th September with initial feedback from the Bookstart module being extremely positive.
For more information go to www.surestart.gov.uk/_doc/P0002435.PDF
ELPP Case study
The following case study is from a Home-Start volunteer in Westminster which provides evidence of the benefit the scheme is bringing:
Chelvi’s story
Inspired by the Bookstart training, I set out on a mission to spread the Bookstart experience among the Home-Start families I am working with. However, what I didn't expect is the transformative effect something as simple as Bookstart can have on the lives of some families. For an example, when I introduced the Bookstart experience to a family, for the very first time during my involvement with the family I saw an affectionate and encouraging interaction between the mother and her two-year-old son.
During the months I had worked with the family, I witnessed the family's struggle as they coped with the aftermath of years of domestic violence, maternal ill health, poverty, social isolation and social services involvement with the family on the basis of child protection concerns.
For this family the Bookstart experience is more than educational; as well as being a mother-son bonding tool it also provided the resources needed for an enjoyable and stimulating experience for the family. The little boy immediately responded with great joy to the book and drew mother in as well as his older siblings. This came as a complete surprise to me.
As for me, this was an eye–opener as it revealed to me a dimension of the mother's parenting capacity which had been otherwise hidden if not for the Bookstart experience! I took a Bengali/English book as the mum does not read or write English. I came back to the office and fed my experience back with great excitement which lifted everybody and inspired everyone yet again about the project.
Home-Start volunteer, Westminster