Best-selling children’s author backs reading scheme

Nick Butterworth has already visited Lunsford Primary School as a reward for pupils who had excelled at reading - and says he hopes schools who haven’t yet signed up to Buster’s Book Club will get involved before the 1 December deadline.

He believes that reading with children at home - which the scheme encourages parents to do - has benefits beyond improving their English.

Nick Butterworth visit to Lunsford Primary School from Inspire Schools on Vimeo.

Mr Butterworth said: “Time spent reading with children promotes literacy in the most enjoyable way - the unconscious development of vocabulary, the easy learning of language skills and the infectious desire to read for themselves. Every minute spent sharing in this way builds and reinforces family relationships.”

"I’m delighted to see initiatives which further children’s literacy and in particular the sharing of books and stories, so it is very exciting for me to be involved with Buster's,” he added.

Buster’s Book Club encourages pupils to spend more time reading for pleasure at home. Each child is given a home reading target of a set number of minutes and then takes part in a series of challenges - including inter-class and inter-school - which get them enthusiastic about meeting or exceeding their target.

Classes compete against each other to see who can read the most in a bid to win the Reading Class of the Week Trophy. Monthly competitions offer prizes including tickets to Wildwood, Leeds Castle, Revolution Skatepark, and Pirate Cove Adventure Golf.

The county’s best or most improved classes win visits from celebrity storytellers such as Mr Butterworth and CBeebies television presenter Joanna Adeyinka-Burford.

Mr Butterworth’s first children’s book, B B Blacksheep and Company, was published in 1981; since then his books have sold 12 million copies in 25 languages worldwide. He was a storyteller on the TV-AM children’s programme Rub-a-dub-tub in the 1980s, and Percy the Park Keeper was made into an animated TV series with Jim Broadbent voicing the title role.

He read to pupils at Lunsford Primary School, in Swallow Road, Larkfield, from his book After The Storm and signed copies of his books after pupils from Elephant Class won the visit for the whole school.

For more information, or to join the scheme, visit the Buster's Book Club website

Schools registering by 1 December will go into a prize draw to win 400 books.

Contact Details

Kathy Beel
Telephone: 08442 640291
Email: kbeel@thekmgroup.co.uk