You are viewing your 1 free article this month. Login to read more articles.
Cressida Cowell backs call to share a story for World Book Day
Author Cressida Cowell is backing Book Aid International calls for schools to share a story and change a life on World Book Day.
Schools taking part in The Big Booky Breakfast will receive a free fundraising pack which includes various book themed activities, for example Big Booky Book Swap, a Big Booky Bake Off, Big Booky Short Story or a Big Booky Dress Up. The pack also includes fundraising resources such as stickers and a poster.
Cowell, the author of How to Train Your Dragon (Hodder Children's), spoke out in favour of the new initiative, saying: “My quest as a children’s author is to inspire the children of today to read with the same joy and wonder that I read when I was a child. The magic of books and reading should be accessible to all children, no matter their background. I would encourage everyone, if they can, to fundraise in school and give books to kids around the world.”
Book Aid International’s head of communications Emma Taylor said: “Our vision is a world where everyone has the chance to enjoy reading – and that is why we’re so delighted that over 1,000 schools across the UK make fundraising part of their World Book Day celebrations every year. We hope that the Big Booky Breakfast will provide new fundraising options which work for all types of schools, allowing more pupils than ever before to share a story and engage with books while changing lives around the world.”
Over the past three years schools in the UK have raised more than £350,000 by fundraising for Book Aid International on World Book Day - enough to send over 175,000 books around the world to people who would otherwise have few books, or even no books at all, the charity said.
It costs Book Aid International just £2 to send a book around the world and the charity works with pupils in countries such as Cameroon, Zimbabwe and Kenya.
Schools can request their free Big Booky Breakfast pack as well as access DIY costume guides, videos and additional classroom resources by visiting: bookaid.org/wbd2019. This year, World Book Day takes place on Thursday 7th March.
