During the initial lockdown back in march 2020, Middlesbrough children joined forces with children's author Rachael Wong to create Parmo to the Rescue!, a story about a cheeky sausage dog and a Boro family as they navigate life during a pandemic.
The story started life as a series of five videos uploaded daily onto the Middlesbrough Reads Facebook page, with children suggesting plot ideas as the story unfolded. It grew from there to a downloadable e-book and eventually became a published book in November 2020.
Creating Parmo to the Rescue! was all about creating a voice for children by framing lockdown from the perspective of local young people and putting them at the heart of the project. In total, almost 200 Middlesbrough children contributed plot ideas and illustrations and the published book is now available to buy.
For those that are able, you can purchase Parmo to the Rescue! by Rachael Wong from Drake The Bookshop (they offer a click-and-collect service). 100% of their sales will go to Middlesbrough Reads so we can continue campaigning around the importance of good literacy skills and transform the life stories of future generations.
The book is also available as a free download - we've left blank spaces so that children can illustrate the story themselves.
