A FREE reading challenge with stickers to collect will help keep children busy over the summer holidays – and is available now from Leicester’s libraries.
Children and families are invited to join the Wild World Heroes for a nature-themed reading adventure as part of this year’s summer reading challenge.
The heroes are a bunch of specially-created cartoon characters who will be encouraging children and young people to keep reading over the summer holidays by becoming a Wild World Hero themselves – standing up for the future of the planet by joining in a celebration of reading, nature and action for the environment.
Organised by The Reading Agency and delivered by local libraries, this year’s summer reading challenge is also being backed by wildlife charity the WWF. Wild World Heroes features amazing books, awesome rewards, and plenty of ideas for taking care of our environment.
Thirteen of Leicester’s libraries are now open – check www.leicester.gov.uk/libraries for full opening times.
There’s also the chance to catch some free live theatre with a nature theme over the summer, thanks to Leicester Libraries’ collaboration with The Spark Arts for Children and Upswing. ‘Seasons’ will be a story told through acrobatic performance, suitable for the whole family.
Performances will take place with the audiences sitting in tents, with one family bubble to each tent. ‘Seasons’ will be performed at various library and community centre venues during the first week of August – for details, see sparkarts.co.uk/seasons
You can join the summer reading challenge anytime up until 31 August, with the last day to complete it being 11 September. It’s open to children aged 0-15 years, although there is an adult challenge too – called Grown-ups Go Wild Reading.
To take part, simply drop into your local library and collect your Wild World Heroes pack from there. The pack includes a specially designed envelope and a ‘zine’ competition exclusive to Leicester, plus lots more information about the scheme, as well as a poster featuring a map of Wilderville, an exciting place which you can make wilder and more wonderful by collecting stickers to add to it with each book you read.
Read any six books in total to complete the challenge, then collect your finisher’s medal and certificate from your local library.
Participants can read books, e-books or listen to audio books to add up towards the challenge – they all count! It means people can join in the challenge using Leicester Libraries’ online service – or by reading physical books borrowed from your local library.
As well as the 7,000 packs available free from libraries, a further 5,000 Wild World Heroes packs will also be delivered directly to families via the city council’s partnerships with schools, food banks, adventure playgrounds, children’s centres, holiday playschemes and Leicester City of Sanctuary.
Assistant city mayor for neighbourhoods Cllr Kirk Master said: “It’s great to have the summer reading challenge back again. The challenge is always very popular in Leicester and helps us to boost reading for enjoyment over the summer holidays.
“The Wild World Heroes theme also gives us a fantastic chance to think about the small changes we can all make to help our environment.”
To find out more, visit www.leicester.gov.uk/summerreadingchallenge
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