National Year of Reading – BookTrust

Katy
0:11

Hi, I'm Katy.

Ali
0:12

And I'm Ali and welcome to Mostly Book Talk.

Katy
0:14

We're back with our series of episodes for the National Year of Reading, where we are talking to charities and other organisations who are doing interesting things around literacy to let you know about what they do and how you can get involved. And in this episode, we talk to Rachel Boden from Book Trust. And we're really pleased to have with us today Rachel Boden, who is the lead children's book promotion and content editor at Book Trust. So, Rachel, welcome and tell us all about all the many things that Book Trusts do.

Rachel
0:50

Hello, thank you very much for having me. So, Book Trust is the UK's largest children's reading charity. So we support, empower, and inspire children and families, particularly those from low-income families or vulnerable backgrounds, to experience the magic of books and stories through reading regularly and by choice, which sounds very grand. And we do that through our various flagship programmes from Bookstart for babies and toddlers right up to Book Spark, the key stage three. So we span quite a bit.

Katy
1:22

So you've got the whole range there? Yes.

Rachel
1:24

Zero to 13, pretty much, or 14. Okay. Um, and we have a widespread delivery network, so um, which actually across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, with some impressive numbers of people actually who we we talk to. We talk to 30,000 delivery partners.

Katy
1:43

My goodness.

Rachel
1:44

7,000 different organisations.

Katy
1:46

So when you say delivery partners, what kind what sort of examples of delivery partners do you work with? Oh, we work with public libraries.

Rachel
1:56

90% of public libraries actually in those three countries. We work with health visitors, we work with family hubs. Yeah. So and we work with schools. So lots of different organizations who are reaching families and children where they are within the communities. So these partners know the families, know the communities, know the challenges and their sort of their everyday lives extremely well.

Katy
2:26

And so what are some of the examples of some of the things that you do across those ages?

Rachel
2:32

So with the early years, which is where we're really very firmly embedded across um working with all these partner organizations, we deliver our bookstart programs. So we have Bookstart Baby, which is when every newborn baby um receives a book, uh, which is just such a joyous program. Uh the very first book that many families own, the very first children's book. Yeah. Um and then we, and that is universal. And then we have more targeted programs for families from low income or vulnerable backgrounds.

Katy
3:10

I think almost every family, I mean, I remember my baby getting my my kids getting their their baby bookstart book. And I think most people who had children remember that as that thing. I don't know whether they necessarily know that it's from Book Trust, but they will remember that bookstart program. Yeah.

Rachel
3:26

Yes, exactly. And I really hope that that helps them to see the magic of reading with a baby, with a child, and to continue that magic. The joy of sitting with a with a child is just it cannot be replicated. It's absolutely magical. Yeah. And many of our other Bookstart programs target low-income families. So we have a bookstart uh toddler and bookstart preschool. And what these are, they are a book, of course, but also resources around the book. So information about going to the library to find more books, of course, very important. And uh some nursery rhymes and perhaps a little finger puppet to play with to kind of show families that it's a really fun way of engaging with your child. And because we're we're gifting these through partners, we also provide the partners with a supportive pack so that they can, in fact, model how to read with your child, how to engage them, how much fun you can have singing and talking with them.

Katy
4:33

So there's lots of the sort of the the sessions that happen in public libraries, those are ones which you've helped support. Are they in terms of like thinking of baby bounce and those kind of things?

Rachel
4:44

Yeah, okay. Many of them, not we can't say all of them, but yes, we have books book trust storytime, which is in libraries, which and we run an a prize as part of that. So we select, so for the storytime programme, we select um certain books and they work with those and the libraries. And for the prize, we have we shortlist five books and then the families vote on the book they've most enjoyed, uh, but reading with their children and listening to the librarian or the volunteers reading. So it's super fun, it gets them involved and hopefully coming back to the library, which is which is the aim of that program. Yes. So it's all about our programmes are all about supporting the adults who are working with the children.

Katy
5:29

Yeah. And so that's what you do up to preschool. And then as you move up through the older children, what activities are you doing with them?

Rachel
5:39

So we have, well, very excitingly, launching this year, the National Year of Reading, we have Book Buzz Primary, which is delivering through schools. It's aimed at Key Stage 2, and it's based on our flagship program for Key Stage 3, actually, which has been super successful over the last 10 years. And so this is a program where schools choose it for their key stage pupils. Children get to choose a book from a selection of 16 titles, and they get to keep it, they get to take it home. And the school gets extra titles to keep in the school as well. Yeah. Um, and as with all of our programs, they're selected by an expert panel alongside Book Trust. And we have really tried, and it's been very interesting with Key Stage 2, which is of course four years, school years when they're just learning to read. So we have done, I think, very well in this challenge of finding a suitable range of books. So we have lots of lovely accessible books, we have stretch books for those really super keen readers, lots of highly illustrated books, some non-fiction as well, because it doesn't always have to be about stories. Yeah. And hopefully a really enticing selection of titles so that the children get excited about choosing. And again, alongside that, the excitement for the children, we have the supportive materials for the teachers. So ways that they can get the children excited. Again, modelling how you might choose a book. Talk about a title, talk about the characters. Also, we get the authors and illustrators to create videos, which um is brilliant. As you know, anytime you involve the authors and the illustrators, there's just that little bit of extra magic dust sprinkled on the project into the air, and it gets all the children really excited.

Katy
7:34

Yeah. Well that's to say that's new for this year, a first time you've done the primary collection.

Rachel
7:41

However, for the last sort of 25 years, we've had something going on uh for that age group, which is called Letterbox Club, but that has been very specifically aimed at children who are in care. Yeah. So that's organised through the local authority, social workers and so on, um, but delivered through schools. And what that is is a package of books and indeed uh games and a couple of maths things as well, games, I think, as well. Once a month the child gets this delivery, and it's something that they can keep for themselves, and it's uh it's delivered through the local authority because often these children move and um don't have any belongings themselves, but the authority obviously knows where they are, and yeah, it's a we the the postcards we have received over the years from these children being so delighted to receive this gift just for them. That's just so heartwarming. So we've we've been doing that for 25 years and we're continuing to do that.

Katy
8:39

Yeah, that's one of I think that's like one of your projects that I is my one of my favourite projects. I think it's a great thing to be able to do because those kids are one really hard to reach and are the least likely to own their own books.

Rachel
8:52

Absolutely, yes. And our um work with the new children's laureate, uh Waterstone's Children's Laureate, I should say, uh Patrice Lawrence is going to be fantastic. So we at Book Trust actually run the Waterstone's Children's Laureate program. And so we've been working with the brilliant Frank Cottral Boyce, and now we have the fantastic Patrice Lawrence, and she is very interested in connecting communities and focusing on those vulnerable children. So that is something, as I say, we've been working in that area for a long time, but we are planning to, it's one of our the core pillars of our strategy actually to expand our work in that area. So alongside Patrice, we are hoping to really extend our network. And what has been really fascinating when we've been talking to, for instance, social workers, is when we talk about our research, we do a lot of research so that we underpin everything we do with solid evidence. Um we talk about our our research into how reading can help strengthen bonds between the adult and the child. Um and because you say to social workers, oh foster carers, for instance, you know, it'd be great if they read with the with the foster children. And social workers are not coming from that angle at all, of course, they have so many things to think about. Uh but as soon as you sort of show them the research about the bonding possibilities, they they are super on board. So they can just see that magical connection can happen, that bonding, which is so important between foster parent, foster child, or indeed newly adopted parent and adopted child. So we are exploring ways, talking to key stakeholders in all these areas about the magic that books can bring.

Katy
10:46

Yeah, really. That's really important. And so you uh you also have, I'm gonna prompt you here, as well as the primary book buzz, you've got the continuation of the secondary, and that's your oldest program, program for oldest children, isn't it? That you do. Yes, exactly.

Rachel
11:04

Well, and alongside that actually, Book Spark. So Book Buzz Secondary is yes, similar to Book Buzz Primary, selection of titles that the children in year seven or seven or eight, and the school can choose which which years they they offer it to. They choose the book and they take it home. So again, research shows that if children choose the book, they are more motivated to then read it. And we know that years seven and eight um are a key moment to maintain the reading habit um for children, and that uh so secondary schools absolutely love this as a way to keep that momentum, keep the book talk going. I mean, it's called Book Buzz for a reason. Lots of buzz about the books in the school. Um, you know, which book have you got? Oh, my friend's got that book, maybe I'll have it as well, etc. So um that has been super positive as a way to uh maintain that. And we have Book Spark, which is um again key stage three, and that is more about the book sparking talk, actually, again. It is a collection of books that stay the library, but multiple copies of one title so that there can be there can be a book club discussion. The idea is that it's led by the students, so the librarian or the teacher can kind of model starting the conversation, but um, it's led by the students. With prompts, we provide lots of resources with prompts and so on, and we choose, hopefully choose super interesting titles that can prompt discussion. I mean, there is obviously a wealth of amazing literature being written now for children of all ages. So um on really super interesting points. So, yes, we're trying to maintain the momentum of the reading for pleasure.

Katy
12:53

Yeah, lovely. So you've touched on this, but what have you done? What is there anything specific that you've been doing for the national year of reading?

Rachel
13:02

So we are the National Reading Early Years lead, actually, lead delivery partner, which is fantastic. So, yes, so we've been going all in this year to really motivate our network of partners. So we have been shining a spotlight on the important work that they do. And so this year we've been asking them to share examples of all the their different activities in their communities because they are the ones, as I said earlier, who really understand their communities, really know what will inspire them and connect them. And so we're running a Story Share of the Year awards this year, which we will announce in the autumn. In October, we have a week, Story Share of the Week, where we're really celebrating these partners who whose work often goes unsung, to be honest with you, not by us, but just in general. And so we um we really want to spotlight them and celebrate all the interesting ways that they inspire children. So, yeah, so we have that award. So we're probably predominantly focusing on the earliers given that that we're the the delivery lead. Again, though, it was very it's brilliant that we've launched Book Buzz Primary in this year because we can because schools are really looking for something to do for the National Year of Reading, I think. So this can't be something that they can really um look into. Uh so that's been absolutely fantastic. And we've been um alongside Frank Hotel Boyce, the the previous laureate, um, we've been really advocating with the highest stakeholders on our reading rights campaign, uh, which we did we started last year, but it's really we've taken it up a notch this year. So fantastic boost that the National Year of Reading has given it. So uh our deputy, one of our deputy co-CEOs, Annie Crombie, gave evidence at the there was a Reading for Pleasure inquiry at Parliament earlier this year in March. And we held a reading rights summit where the children's minister uh. government has been really engaged, so any opportunity we've had to get the ear of anyone who can hopefully influence policy, we've been grabbing it. And I have been very open to that actually this year, which has been fantastic.

Ali
15:13

Frank, I was gonna say Frank's continuing that, isn't he? Yes as a kind of new role as Patrice takes over as children's laureate.

Rachel
15:22

Yes, he's been brilliant in agreeing to stay with us and uh be our Beard Book Trust's reading rights ambassador, yes, which is a special role created for him because he he has really lent into his ability to move and inspire people. He in a very quiet way gets people to listen to him, which is extraordinary. So yes, and he's been so fired up because uh we've been taking him around the country, the three countries that we work in, to show him the grassroots work that, like I say, goes usually very unsun. And he's been so inspired that he has been keen to to carry on, to keep being involved, which is fantastic. So we will have him as our reading rights ambassador, the Waterstones Children's Laureate, Patrice, who um you know we support. Yes, and and we also actually every six months have a writer in residence, which is fantastic, who is currently uh Tom Percival, writes and illustrates the many things actually, but partly the um Big Bright Feelings picture books, which um have been going for 10 years as well.

Katy
16:30

So just uh coming back to reading rights, what do you mean by reading rights? What how would you sum up that what you're trying to achieve through your reading rights work?

Rachel
16:39

So reading rights uh is a campaign led by Book Trust and Frank Cultural Voices, as I've said. And we're trying to bring shared reading in particular, so in the early years, to the forefront of conversations across different policies, so across early years policy, health, education, culture, and local government. So what we'd like is for people to cohere around one very simple idea that reading belongs at the heart of a child's early life, because simply it creates the foundation for well-being, for connection, and for happiness. So Frank himself put it brilliantly. He said that reading is the apparation apparatus rather for happiness. And so there is a lot to do still, of course. And uh if people want to find out more, they can sign up to the Reading Rights campaign on our website. Um and you can watch the lecture that Frank gave uh back in May, it's on our website and on our YouTube channel. Um, and you can find out, you can sign up to find out more about campaign as it progresses.

Katy
17:51

Yeah, brilliant. And more generally, in all of the things that you've talked about, how do people, if we've got teachers or librarians or parents listening and thinking, oh, actually that would be something of interest, how do they join in? How do they find out more? How do they sign up? I think you're gonna say go to your website, but if there's anything else they should be doing, say it.

Rachel
18:11

Yes, it kind of is go to our website, please. We have various newsletters to sign up for, so schools, primary schools and secondary schools, ones in particular, as well as as general ones. There's the reading rights campaign that you can sign up to. Do follow us on social media. We post across most platforms about all the work that we are doing, and indeed all the work that people we are working with are doing. And yes, please do support Patrice as the laureate, follow her. Very exciting. Very exciting, yes. Um, so yes, just keep keep your ear to the ground, really.

Katy
18:45

So if you're like a grassroots organization who isn't yet working with you, who's maybe you know working with young children, how would they would they just can they get in touch with you through the website or are there local people? Do you have like sort of regional organization that they should be getting in touch with? How would how do they connect and become part of that activity at grassroots?

Rachel
19:06

That's a very good question. They can absolutely get in contact through the website, of course. Okay. Also, there should be a bookstart coordinator in their local authority. Okay. Or often in the library, not always. But if not, then yes, simply, and in this day and age, it's often far quicker to simply contact through the website, sign up for the newsletter. Also, there's a phone number. So even this day and age, you can speak to a human. You can speak to a human. My lovely colleagues are there at the end of the phone and can um can help them. Yes.

Katy
19:42

Brilliant.

Ali
19:42

So that's yeah, that's brilliant.

Katy
19:44

That's very good. Because some it is amazing how hard it is sometimes to speak to a human being. Just uh finally, we're more than halfway through the National Year of Reading now. What what are your hopes and also what do you hope its legacy will be?

Rachel
19:59

Well, I hope that more and more people will be talking about it, more and more people will be reading, obviously. And in the long term, I think we hope that the legacy will be long-lasting. So there is so much brilliant work going on, as I say, in all the communities and across all the reading charities as well, who are involved with the National Year of Reading officially and indeed not involved. I mean, I think this year is all about celebrating that, boosting it, foregrounding the work that's happening, which I hope does continue, but most importantly, in the long term, making the ongoing differences. So, so from Book Trust's point of view, we really do think long-term, we want to support our partners and to deliver that long-term systemic change and those positive experiences. Behavior change, really, is what is behind it to motivate, to enable and motivate those families and those individual children to enjoy reading and to make it a habit that will just reap all these wonderful benefits for them. Yeah. Book Trust Strategy is called reading for a brighter future, which I think is just fantastic. It sums up what the National Year of Reading and all of us are trying to achieve, I think.

Ali
21:13

And it does feel, I think from lots of people we've talked to, it feels like it's a kind of line in the sand, isn't it, to kind of grow from that we've all focused on it and then we're continuing to focus on it as we go into the next year. But it's given everybody a kind of thing to rally behind, I suppose.

Katy
21:29

Yeah, absolutely. And some of the stuff that you're doing, because it does feel like that you have to start with the early years and that a lot of that shift is in that very, very early stages of childhood. And if you can make those connections and put reading at the center of those children's lives, it then it sets them on a track going through. And and in a sense, you know, we obviously we can't not do things for all of the other children who are already bigger than that, and that's really important too, and catching up because it does feel like we've lost our way slightly, whether that's screens or however, but but that investment in the early years and making that change really fundamental there is a sort of building block that you've got to get in place going forward.

Rachel
22:11

Yeah, absolutely. And as we say in the reading rights campaign, it affects every aspect of a child's life. So, and and it's just something that every department, the health as well as the education departments, you know, should be interested in. It's uh it's absolutely fundamental. And what is wonderful about the authors and illustrators that we work with is even if they don't create books for those early years, such as, for example, Frank, they they still understand and wholeheartedly support, as do does every bookie person, that that it is the early years, as you've just said, that is the absolute key moment to start them on that trajectory and to just bring joy to the families. As I said earlier, the bonding, the shared attention, looking at the same thing, the one that wonderful moment when a child joins in with the story that they know incredibly well. It's just fantastic. Teachers maintain that throughout. They have such a hard job, but they are doing brilliantly in maintaining the excitement for books and stories. And authors and illustrators are producing the most wonderful books. We just live in this golden age for children's literature. So we try to highlight all of those amazing books where we can, support the authors and illustrators. Very good. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Katy
23:31

That's been brilliant.