The All Party Group heard how children's book borrowing from public libraries is increasing thanks to the hard work of librarians and partner organisations, and schemes like the Summer Reading Challenge. The Summer Reading Challenge is organised by The Reading Agency and takes a new and nationally co-ordinated approach, to inspiring children to read.
Every year, more and more children take part in the Summer Reading Challenge, undertaken in partnership with public libraries and supported by children's publishers and bookshops. This year 700,000 children are expected to take part across the UK.
Philip Dunne said: "Libraries have a vital part to play in encouraging youngsters to enjoy reading, especially during the long summer holidays. Having been involved with bookshops which placed enormous emphasis on children's books, I know what an increasingly exciting range of children's books are on offer. Libraries have a particular role in making it possible for parents and carers to give children access to a huge variety of books. I am pleased to support the Summer Reading Challenge and am happy to present to each of the libraries and mobile libraries within my constituency a copy of an excellent historical reference book about Roman Emperors* locally published in Ludlow.
I invited Cllr Barbara Craig, lead Member responsible for Libraries and Museums at Shropshire County Council, and Jim Roads, Head of Library & Information Services to a Libraries conference in Parliament earlier this summer to demonstrate the high quality library service on offer in Shropshire. Lyn Brown MP, Chairman of the All-Party Group visited Shropshire last weekend and told me how impressed she was with the quality of service provided by the County Council."
Photo: Philip Dunne encourages children's summer reading.
