Julia Shergold
Books for babies, 2006 Julia with a Bookstart bag which she distributes to parents of babies and young children © Carl Rose Since 2000 I have worked for a project called Bookstart, based at Burngreave Library, which distributes free book packs to all pre-school children. I also encourage families to share books together, use the library, and help parents develop their children's love of books. I particularly enjoy working on a project in the area where I live, as I see parents out and about, in the library and at the school gates. I've seen some children in the area (including my own daughter, Riona) get their first baby books at six months - and now they're seven years old! Hopefully they've been enjoying a whole range of baby books, picture books and story books in those years and now happily read books by themselves. We put on lots of events at Burngreave Library to attract families with young children. We have regular 0-3s Baby Time sessions (second and fourth Mondays of every month). We've also had steel drumming, face painting and children's parties and even baby animals, including a goat, brought by the Park Rangers! As you can see, libraries are no longer serious, old-fashioned places where you have to be silent, we really do have something for everyone! Written by Julia Shergold, November 2006. |