Discover the magic of fairy tales this Bookstart Week

“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.” (Albert Einstein)

National Bookstart Week is coming and libraries across Plymouth will be celebrating the event with special activities for the under-fives.

Bookstart aims to help every child develop a lifelong love of books and encourages families to share stories together by giving away free books and parental help leaflets at key stages in a child’s life. Targeted programmes in Plymouth City Council’s children’s centres also support families in most need.

The theme of this year’s National Bookstart Week, which runs from 24 to 30 June, is ‘fairy tales’.

St Aubyn Library will be starting the celebrations on Saturday 22 June with a themed Rhymetime in the children’s area, which is having a fairy tale makeover courtesy of the local teenage HeadSpace group and library staff.

Other events being held by libraries during the week include fairy tale fancy dress parties, baby clinics, Rhymetimes and Storytimes.

An Ugly Duckling booklet, illustrated by Masumi Furukawa, has been specially produced for this year’s Bookstart Week and will be given away to mums, dads and carers to encourage them to read with their children every day. The magic will continue on the Bookstart website, with an audio recording of the Ugly Duckling, competitions and other fairy tale characters to discover.

Jo Dennehy, Plymouth Bookstart Coordinator, said: "Sharing books with your children strengthens the bond between you and helps to develop their early language skills. Fairy tales are a strong tradition in most cultures and we’re looking forward to providing opportunities to bring some of them to life at our library events, hopefully all with a happy ending!”

The full programme of events and activities:

Saturday 22 June
St Aubyn Library, 11am: Fairy tale party (fancy dress optional)

Monday 24 June
Central Library, 11am: Fairy tale Rhymetime
Peverell Library, 2pm: Fairy tale Rhymetime and Storytime (fancy dress optional)

Tuesday 25 June
West Park Library, 10am: Fairy tale Rhymetime (fancy dress optional) Stoke Library, 10.30am: Fairy tale Rhymetime and activities Crownhill Library, 2pm: Fairy tale party (fancy dress optional) North Prospect Library, 2pm: Fairy tale Rhymetime and Storytime Efford Library, 2.15pm: Fairy tale Rhymetime (come dressed as your favourite fairy tale character) Estover Library, 3.30pm: Fairy tale Rhymetime

Wednesday 26 June
Southway Library, 10am: Fairy tale Rhymetime and Storytime (fancy dress optional) Plympton Library, 10.30am: Baby clinic and fairy tales Rhymetime Central Library, 11am: Fairy tale Storytime and activity

Thursday 27 June
St Budeaux Library, 10am: Fairy tale Rhymetime and activity (fairy tale fancy dress) Central Library, 2pm: Fairy tale Rhymetime Plymstock Library, 2.15pm: Fairy tale Rhymetime North Prospect Library, 2pm: Fairy tale Rhymetime and Storytime with music Plympton Library, 2pm: Fairy tale Rhymetime (bring your favourite toy, teddy or bath toy)

For more information visit www.plymouth.gov.uk/libraries or email joanne.dennehy@plymouth.gov.uk.

Free, downloadable resources including posters, Rhymetime sheets, colouring sheets and recommended selections of fairy tale themed books are available at www.bookstart.org.uk.