Bookstart Baby is an annual universal book gifting programme under which children aged from birth to 12 months in England and Wales receive a free pack including a book, information leaflet and finger puppet. The pack is designed to support and encourage families to share stories with their child and promote a lifelong love of reading.
A new book is chosen every year by an expert panel and packs are given out by health professionals, libraries, registrars and other early years professionals.
The packs are funded by Arts Council England and the Welsh Government.
According to research carried out by BookTrust, for the majority of low-income families, the book within the Bookstart Baby packs are one of the first books they have owned for their child.
The charity ran an online survey of parents and carers of children from birth to age seven, living in low-income households in England, Wales and Northern Ireland between April and June last year. A total of 1,083 people recalled using a Bookstart Baby pack for their child.
'We hope to demonstrate to families how much their children enjoy exploring books and stories together'.
Diana Gerald, chief executive of BookTrust, said, ‘It’s never too early to start sharing books and stories with children.
'We’re delighted that all babies will be able to enjoy Axel’s fabulous book. As well as supporting babies’ development and progress, we hope to demonstrate to families how much their children enjoy exploring books and stories together and hope that this kickstarts an early love of reading that will continue throughout childhood.’
Axel Scheffler, creator of Who’s hiding on the farm?, commented, ‘I feel very honoured that my book has been chosen as the Bookstart Baby book and it makes me feel slightly dizzy thinking of all these babies growing up with this book!
‘I read a lot to my own daughter when she was little and I really enjoyed the experience. Books are so important for children. You can really see how much it means to them and how they develop and learn to love stories. I know that it's very hard to find time to read but any free minute you have, you can use.’