The Little Big Book Club

Barnsley Council are working with South Yorkshire's Mayor, Oliver Coppard, to launch The Mayor’s Little Big Book Club, a new initiative designed to help more children discover the joy of reading and develop a lifelong love of stories, with 4,000 free books given away to children across the region.

The ambition is to create opportunities for children to experience the magic of stories, building a culture where reading for pleasure is embedded across South Yorkshire.

The launch was the South Yorkshire Festival of Reading, part of a summer-long celebration which brings stories to life through storytelling sessions, creative activities and community events across the region.

The festival marked the first major flagship moment for the Little Big Book Club on Saturday 22 August and the wider ambition to inspire more children to fall in love with reading.

At the Festival of Reading, families were able to enjoy story times and reading trails, live music, crafts and creative workshops, and performances from street entertainers. The celebrations also included the giveaway of 1,000 free story sacks, each containing a Dear Zoo book helping children across Barnsley take home a story of their own.

More information will follow during the year.