With only just under a week to go until Scotland’s second national celebration of books and reading, communities across the country are gearing up for a week-long programme of events, activities and projects that will run from 25 November to 1 December, 2013.
There really is something for all the family during Book Week Scotland. In the Lothians, there is plenty going on for children, from designing your own book cover in Dalkeith to Princess Pumpalot Storytelling in Gorebridge, Teddy Bear Sleepovers, Creative Christmas Workshops and much more. There will also be author visits from children’s authors Janie McKay, Lari Don, Margaret Ryan and Matthew Fitt, to name but a few. Also, you could head to the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh for a great day out, and celebrate the return of poet in residence Mandy Haggith for a special one-off event.
In addition to all this, three free picture books will be gifted to every Primary 1 pupil, taken from the shortlist for the Scottish Children’s Book Awards 2013: Paper Dolls by Julia Donaldson and Rebecca Cobb, What’s the Time Mr Wolf by Debi Gliori and Jumblebum by Chae Strathie and Ben Cort. Scottish children’s illustrator and author Mairi Hedderwick will also be bringing her most famous character, Katie Morag, to life for children across Scotland, during a special live broadcast in partnership with the BBC on 28 November.
What’s more, 150,000 free copies of a short story and poem collection written by Scottish people, Treasures, will be distributed throughout the week via bookshops, libraries and other channels. This specially made book contains competition-winning entries that were inspired by their authors’ most treasured belongings, taking a variety of forms including poems, diary entries and stories. Contributions include previously untold accounts of unexpected objects such as a steamship, a VHS tape, a rucksack and a chip of concrete. There are also some well known contributors including John and Carole Barrowman, Richard Holloway and Denise Mina.
If you who have your own ideas about how you’d like to celebrate Book Week Scotland, schools, families and communities are being encouraged to host a Big Book Bash, which can take any shape or form, at any time or place. This might be as simple as a book swap or a storytelling group, or as elaborate as a literary fancy dress party. You can sign up online at www.bookweekscotland.com to receive a free resource pack full of tips and ideas to help get you started organising your very own Big Book Bash.
You can also get involved online by voting for your Favourite Scottish Book from the last 50 years. The top 10 books, chosen from a shortlist of 50 titles, will be announced at the end of Book Week Scotland. Also revealed during the week will be three Reading Heroes; individuals nominated by the public for their inspiring reading activities in each of the following categories: Most Inspiring Reader, Most Committed Reader, and Most Unusual Reading Habit. The chosen hero from each category will be asked to create a short film about their passion for reading.
Perhaps most anticipated of all are the five large art installations due to be unveiled in communities across Scotland during the week, a project that aims to inspire people during their everyday lives to pick up a book, and maybe have a go at writing one themselves. This ambitious project is a fantastic highlight to what will have been a very exciting week focusing on the enjoyment of books, reading and writing.
For more information about Book Week Scotland 2013 and how you and your family can get involved and be part of the fun, visit www.bookweekscotland.com, where you can find information about all the events taking place in your local area, vote for your favourite Scottish book, and discover a whole host of resources and ideas to help you celebrate and share whatever it is you love to read.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
