Free books for all children in your reception class arriving September to October 2019

Working in conjunction with BookTrust, Kent Libraries have ordered a book pack for every child in a Reception class, on behalf of all Kent schools.

BookTrust’s Time to Read campaign encourages families to make time to read together, share stories every day and find the fun in reading. BookTrust wants to make sure that every Reception pupil in England has their own book to treasure and share with their family at home. That's why they are giving out 700,000 free copies of this year’s featured book to schools across England.

This year’s book is The Cave, written and illustrated by Rob Hodgson and published by Frances Lincoln Children’s Books. It’s a quirky picture book that tells the tale of a curious, persistent and very hungry wolf and a secret little creature that will keep kids guessing. The Cave is a laugh-out loud story with a very big surprise accompanied with glorious artwork, bursting with colour and warmth. The Cave teaches a very important lesson about perspective and not to judge others too quickly.

Your school’s Time To Read packs will be delivered direct to your school between September and the end of October 2019. The quantity you’ll receive matches your school's PAN figure, so there’s one free pack per child. Each pack includes a copy of this year’s featured book and a letter for parents and carers, all in a specially designed Time to Read envelope for children to take home. If your intake is higher than expected in September, there will be a chance to order additional packs (see bottom of this article for how to do this).

Time to Read is a great opportunity to engage families with your pupils’ reading development. Make links with your local library - a valuable partner offering a fantastic source of free books and other resources (including story sacks) and bring your pupils for a visit if you can. Encourage everyone to get a library card (it’s free) and make time to read all year round. Invite parents in for a Time to Read book gifting session too (at your school or a local library).

You can sign up as a teacher contact and get all the latest updates and resources, as well as find out more information on the Time To Read website

For queries about your delivery, or the number of packs ordered for your school, please contact timetoread@booktrust.org.uk.

Contact Details

Karen Sillifant
Telephone: 03000 41 44 39
Email: Karen.Sillifant@kent.gov.uk