Great days for reading

IMG_5369These are great days for children’s reading in Wanstead.

The inspired summer reading project, which is being run at Wanstead Library as it is in many other libraries around the country, has successfully captured many children’s imaginations. And this weekend Wanstead gets its own “Little Free Library”, a charitable project which encourages children to swap their books and take one away for free.

Each Little Free Library – and there are several around London and the rest of the country now – operates from a residential area and is designed especially for the location. Wanstead’s is being installed this weekend in the garden of Overton Drive resident Fiona Tonkin – hence the name above the door. It has been decorated in an Epping Forest style by artist Gabriela Castellanos.

The summer reading scheme, Mythical Maze, has successfully introduced a bit of social gaming into going to the library. The task children have for the summer holidays is to read six books, and to be able to talk about what they have read. With each completed book, they are closer to reaching the target of the end of the maze. As the chart in Wanstead library shows, many children have already completed the task – in fact some finished it in the first few days of the summer holidays.

Any children not yet under way still have time to take part – but should be aware that the library will be closed before the end of the holidays for a new roof to be installed.