"I think Booktime is an excellent idea and hope it will continue! Reading to young children is so important as it fosters a love of books and reading - hopefully for a lifetime."
Nottinghamshire Local Authority
Inspired by the highly successful Bookstart scheme, Booktime was launched in 2006 by education and publishing company Pearson in association with independent charity Booktrust.
The scheme aims to promote the pleasure of reading and encourage parents and carers to read aloud with their children. We believe that if children learn to enjoy books, rather than seeing them as work, they can forge a lifetime love for reading. We also believe that reading aloud with the people close to you is a deeply important part of childhood.
Booktime was piloted in Warwickshire and the London Borough of Southwark in January 2006, with the much-loved title Hairy Maclary's Bone by Lynley Dodd. Following an independent evaluation and positive feedback from the pilot, the programme was then launched across the UK.
None of this could have taken place without the magnificent contribution and support of local authority and library services, and with their help Booktime is going from strength to strength. In the first year of Booktime (2006-07), over 260,000 book packs were given to children in 77 local authorities in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Now over a million book packs have been recieved by children throughout the UK, and the love of reading is spreading fast.
In 2007-08 we stuck with the theme of bones and presented children with Allan Ahlberg's childhood classic Funnybones. The skeletons worked their magic and more schools, libraries, families, carers and children took part than ever before.
Go to the Research & Evaluation page for further views from parents and carers, teachers and librarians, and to see a summary of the results of the first year evaluation.
If you represent children who are not in traditional education please get in touch with us at booktime@booktrust.org.uk to see how we can help you make the most of Booktime.
You may be interested in Booktrust's other book gifting schemes:
Bookstart is a national programme that gives a free pack of books to babies and guidance materials to parents and carers.
Booked Up is a national programme that encourages Year 7 children to read for pleasure by providing every child with a free book.
