Zoe Boots Opticians is giving an extra 300 copies of its eye check storybook Zookeeper Zoe to Peterborough’s primary schools to support the work of the National Literacy Trust Hub in Peterborough. The innovative book, developed in partnership with the National Literacy Trust includes four basic “by stealth” sight checks built into the story and is designed to remind parents that all children should have a regular eye health check.
To ensure all parents across the country have access to Zookeeper Zoe, 350,000 printed copies are being given away in Boots UK stores. It can also be read online and downloaded from the Zookeper Zoe website and is available as an interactive app. The extra 300 copies of the book for the Peterborough Hub will help its work in supporting the literacy skills of early years children who are about to start school and primary school children in the lower years.
Ben Fletcher, Managing Director, Boots Opticians says: “We want every child in the UK to be as happy and healthy as possible and good eyesight is an essential part of that. Unfortunately, estimates suggest that one million children in the UK have an undiagnosed eye condition - only a qualified optician can fully diagnose an eye condition so we’ve worked with the National Literacy Trust to create Zookeeper Zoe simply to nudge and encourage more parents to bring their children along for a free, full, eye-health check.”
Lisa Rootes from the National Literacy Trust says:
"Eye sight and reading go hand in hand which is why we are delighted to be collaborating on this project. It's just one of the ways that we are working with Boots Opticians to make sure every child feels confident about their reading so every child can reach their full potential”
Created for children aged 4-6 in collaboration with celebrity Dad, Peter Andre, the book tells the story of a little girl’s day out at the zoo during which she unexpectedly has to step in and help look after the animals. For Zoe, who is “crazy about crocs and barmy about bears” this is a dream come true. As the story unfolds, the copy and illustrations guide parents through basic checks designed to help identify any problems with sharpness of vision, the ability to focus properly and to detect different colours.
“It’s a great story and is fun to read but it’s also such a brilliant idea” says Peter Andre. “When I heard about it I was really keen to get involved. As a parent I know there are a million things to think about but making sure your children can see properly is incredibly important… and they won’t always tell you if they can’t, because they don’t realise. I really hope this book will get more parents to start thinking about their children’s eye health and about getting it properly checked out.”