The Spring term Bookmark Book Rocket Pack is underway! The aim of the pack is to support our mission to help every child to read, and to help to build whole school reading cultures in primary schools.

In the Autumn term, we asked What On Earth Books, publishers of children’s non-fiction to curate our fifth Book Rocket Pack, this time of novel non-fiction books for children. These were distributed to our Silver, Gold and Platinum Partner Schools.

We’re doing the same this Spring term but with a brand-new pack of picture books curated by the team at Picture Hooks!

These packs will ensure that children participating in Bookmark reading programmes and across the school will have access to high-quality, diverse reading material.

We offer many additional benefits to our partner schools over and above our reading programmes; find out more about our Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum packages here.

THE SIXTH PACK

We’re delighted to have the next Bookmark Book Rocket Pack be curated by Picture Hooks.

Why do we think that? Well, these short books are far from simple. When children read or listen to a picture book, it teaches a skill called visual literacy, which includes appreciation for art, design and layout. The interplay between illustrations and text also adds extra meaning, stimulating critical thinking. Picture books deal with powerful, universal themes – like loneliness, anger, how to treat our friends or care for nature, which are important at any age. They also teach about rhyme and rhythm and offer an effective way to pick up new vocabulary using visual cues. Most of all, picture books are great fun, making them a fantastic way to foster a love of reading at school and beyond.

This collection was inspired by our friends Fiona McDonald and Ann Landmann, incredible booksellers who joined us at the Edinburgh International Book Festival last year to share our favourite ever picture books. We hope you enjoy them – happy reading!