Oxford University Press (OUP) has revealed plans for its national roadshow as part of the launch of its Raise a Reader campaign. The three-year Raise a Reader initiative, which was announced last month, is supported by celebrities including Alesha Dixon and Louise Pentland and aims to provide children and young people with the tools and opportunities to become lifelong readers in the wake of the pandemic.
To address findings from new consumer and educator research exploring the barriers to becoming a life-long readers, the Raise a Reader campervan will visit ten locations across England with lower levels of literacy. The campervan – packed full of free books, exciting activities, and engaging reading resources – will tour schools, bookshops and public spaces on a nationwide celebration of books and reading from Monday 31 October to Friday 11 November.
The campervan will visit Cornwall on Wednesday 2 November with Naomi and James Jones, the husband-and-wife author and illustrator behind the bestselling picture books The Perfect Fit and One More Try, visiting Rosemellin Community Primary School in Cambourne with a range of reading activities to entertain and inspire the school children, and local bookshop Stories by the Sea also hosting the creative duo at St Ives Infant School.
Naomi Jones said: ‘For both children and grownups, the power of the written word shouldn't be underestimated. Books can entertain, inform, and inspire, they can reassure, make you laugh, and sometimes even cry. I have always loved how books let you step into someone else's shoes for a bit, how they allow you to imagine another way to live and encourage your imagination to go wild. Reading can help level an uneven playing field, it can be a refuge, but mostly, reading has always brought me incredible joy. More than anything, I hope Raise a Reader helps children fall in love with reading.’
Leading OUP children’s authors and illustrators, such as illustrator of the iconic Winnie and Wilbur picture books Korky Paul and author of the global best-selling Isadora Moon series Harriet Muncaster, will join the tour at each further stop to inspire children with engaging workshops and storytelling sessions. In addition, members of the OUP team will be sharing resources to help break down the barriers to reading for pleasure.
Raise a Reader roadshow will be in oxfordshire on Monday 31 October:
Alex Falase-Koya and Paula Bowles, author and illustrator of the smash-hit superhero series, Marv, will visit Dashwood Academy in Banbury – one of the ten schools taking
