The National Literacy Trust recently launched the new Read On Nottingham campaign in partnership with Nottingham City Council and local Big Lottery funded initiative Small Steps Big Changes.
As part of the campaign, we visited five primary schools and early years settings in the city with a double-decker literacy bus, courtesy of Nottingham City Transport. Pupils aged between one and five climbed on board to hear a performance from local children's performers Rainbow Stripes, hear more about the new National Literacy Trust Hub in Nottingham and take home free books.
At Snape Wood Primary School, pupils were met with the hosts of the Capital East Midlands breakfast show, Dino, Pete and Tyles. Normally recognised for waking the city up with the latest hit music, on this occasion the presenters were there to share their favourite children's books and talk about the importance of sharing stories as a family.
"I love the Mr Men stories by Roger Hargreaves," explained Pete. "I used to read them with my parents and now I read them with my lad...or I did until he grew up! They're funny."
"I like Oi Cat! by Kes Gray, the follow up to the hilarious Oi Frog!, which has been annihilated by my two year old," said Tyles. "We read about five or six books every single night before bedtime. I think it's kind of time-wasting - he just wants to delay the bedtime bit - but he loves books. If he wakes up in the night, he wants a book. His vocabulary is also really good and I think that's probably down to the reading we do."
Dino added, "I've got two little boys - one is six and one is three. My six-year-old is addicted to anything by Tom Fletcher - The Dinosaur That Pooped a Planet!, The Christmasaursus - anything like that. If he sees it, we have to get it and I have to read it to him. They're not like the Mr Men books or Oi Cat! though, they've got pages and pages and pages, so I spend hours reading to him! It's great."