Children in and around Whitehaven are in for a treat icluding the chance to meet the ‘Bookstart Bear’ as Cumbria County Council Library Service launches ‘Bookcrawl’.
At 10.30am, Thursday 30 June, Whitehaven’s Daniel Hay Library are holding a rhyme and story session with a special appearance by the Bookstart Bear. There will be cake and juice to share so all pre-school children and their parents are invited to come along on the day and join in the fun - there is no charge and no need to book.
In the afternoon the Bookstart Bear will visit the regular "Come and Play" session. There will be toys to play with and song singing to finish, and any cake left will be polished off! The afternoon fun runs from 13.30 to 14.30.
The Bookcrawl scheme is aimed at promoting library membership and use to children under 6. Children who take part collect ‘smiley face’ stamps on their Bookcrawl card with every visit. They can then collect prizes as they go and when their card is full they will get a Bookcrawl ball and certificate.
A competition to find the youngest baby to join a library also starts on the 1st July. Every three months, the youngest baby to have joined a library in the county will win a supply of nappies worth £150. There will be runners-up awards worth £25 for the youngest babies in each of the remaining five library groups.
Councillor Roger Bingham, spokesman for the library service says:
"It is crucial to encourage children to enjoy books. All children, no matter what their age, can really benefit from reading with their parents. I hope these events and competitions will encourage more people to come along and join a library."