Free books for under fives

Some of the books in Dolly Parton’s ‘Imagination Library’

Free books posted to children, with their names on, once a month

Children under the age of five living in the borough of Hounslow will receive free books, posted to them with their name on once a month. Young children will also receive their own library card.

In an attempt to promote reading at an early age in what is one of the most deprived areas of the country, the Council’s initiative will allow children under five to receive free books from the Dolly Parton ‘Imagination Library’.

‘Under the scheme, each month, high quality, age-appropriate books are posted to children from birth to age five. The books are specially wrapped and addressed to the child and are delivered at no cost to the family’.

An illustration of the kind of place Labour “wants the borough to become”

Cllr Shantanu Rajawat

Council Leader Shantanu Rajawat introduced the initiative at the Cabinet meeting on 14 July as part of Labour’s four-year Corporate Plan, titled A Fairer Future, saying:

“This is one of the most significant reports this administration will bring forward because it sets out the direction of travel for the next four years. It reflects the mandate we were given by residents and the kind of borough we want Hounslow to become”.

He said the plan was rooted in “fairness, opportunity and public service” and made a commitment that: “no one should be left behind because of where they live, or the circumstances they were born into”.

The plan was passed at the Borough Council Meeting the following week.

The Council has also approved funding for upgrading the libraries in the borough.

READ ALSO: LB Hounslow approves budget to upgrade libraries

“Let’s share this dream that all children should grow up in a home full of books”

Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton set up her ‘Imagination Library’ 20 years ago in honour of her father, who was illiterate.

“He was the smartest man I have ever known but I know in my heart his inability to read probably kept him from fulfilling all of his dreams”, she writes in an open letter explaining why she set the charity up.

“Inspiring kids to love to read became my mission. In the beginning, my hope was simply to inspire the children in my home county but here we are today with a worldwide program that gives a book a month to well over 3 million children.

“Of course, I have not done this alone. The real heroes of our story are the thousands of local organizations who have embraced my dream and made it their own. They raise millions of dollars each year and wake up every day with a passion to make sure their kids have every opportunity to succeed.

“Let’s share this dream that all children should grow up in a home full of books”.

Newborn library cards

Cllr Madeeha Asim

LB Hounslow is well provided with libraries, having one of the highest densities of libraries per head of population in the country, and the Council has introduced various measures to bring more people into libraries to use them more.

Speaking at Hounslow Cabinet’s meeting on 14th July, the new Member for Children and Young People Cllr Madeeha Asim introduced Newborn library cards, a new scheme which she said would make library access “a birthright”.

The Council will be issuing library cards to every young person, including the parents of newborns, in a bid to boost early development and reinforce the idea that libraries are for people of all ages.

“I believe that every child and young person in Hounslow should have the opportunity to thrive”, she told colleagues.

“In the corporate plan we have made a commitment to children to arrive at school healthy and ready to succeed”.

At the same meeting she addressed criticisms by the Local Government Ombudsman of the way in which the Council had failed to provide for the educational needs of an autistic primary school aged girl.

READ ALSO: Cllr Madeeha Asim apologises for Hounslow Council’s failure to provide for child with complex educational needs

Cllr Asim apologised to the family and promised the Council had learned lessons and would do better.

Free books for under-5s scheme “a welcome addition” – Torin Douglas, director of the Chiswick Book Festival

Torin Douglas MBE

The free books for under-5s scheme is “a welcome addition” to support for reading in the borough, director of the Chiswick Book Festival Torin Douglas told The Chiswick Calendar: “This is great news”.

The Chiswick Book Festival supports reading charities with the money it makes from the festivals.

READ ALSO: Tickets on sale for the 60th Bedford Park Festival

“A brilliant initiative” – Janet Ellis, former BBC Blue Peter presenter and ambassador and volunteer with Doorstep Library

Janet Ellis

Former Blue Peter presenter Janet Ellis is an ambassador and volunteer for Doorstep Library, one of the charities the Book Festival has supported in the past, which literally goes door to door reading to children in their homes.

“This is a brilliant initiative”, she told us, commenting on the introduction of free books for under-fives.

“For those of us lucky enough to grow up going to libraries and with books a huge part of our childhoods, we know how precious a resource they are.

“As a completely portable portal to other worlds, times, thoughts and experiences, books are unique. But they shouldn’t be available only to a few lucky children. Books should be for everyone.

“This decision literally spreads the word(s)!”

Participants in Children’s Book Day in March. L to R: Torin Douglas; Lucy Briers; Jane Nissan; Mayor of Hounslow Cllr Amy Croft; Janet Ellis; Sally Floyer; Photograph Jim Cox

The National Year of Reading

This year has been designated as the National Year of Reading, which the Chiswick Book Festival marked with Children’s Book Day in March.

Among the guests were Lo and Alison Cole, whose parents created Bod, a children’s book character which became a hit TV series. Lo is now a successful children’s author himself and Alison is director of the Cultural Policy Unit.

READ ALSO: Golden age of children’s books, TV and theatre produced by Chiswick creatives

“The library card proposal came from The Cultural Policy Unit”, said Torin, “whose director spoke in the session on ‘How to take action for children’s arts in the National Year of Reading’.

“We have a follow-up panel session on September 12 on how to help children read for pleasure, curated by the Children’s Media Foundation.

“And we are promoting the Summer Reading Challenge which children can take part in at Chiswick Library till early September. The free books for under-5s scheme is a welcome addition to this support for reading in the borough”.