Today, 2nd March 2017, is World Book Day in the UK and Ireland as designated by UNESCO. More than 100 countries celebrate this great initiative, but in some places, such as Spain, celebrations take place on 23rd April. This is because historians originally believed that three renowned authors (including Cervantes and Shakespeare) died on this day, a theory which has since been disproven, but the date has not been changed.
We believe that any reason to promote literacy in little ones is a good one, so today’s blog post will focus on World Book Day UK and Ireland.
What is World Book Day?
World Book Day’s main aim is to encourage a love of books, specifically in children. The idea is to get them to enjoy reading and/or listening to stories, to inspire them to lose themselves in a good book on a daily basis and to get them to develop their imagination through reading.
In bambolango we’d like to celebrate this special day in three different ways. First of all, by explaining what we look for when buying or reading children’s books. Secondly, by offering some ideas on how you can enjoy World Book Day at home. And thirdly…with a surprise! Read on to find out more!
What do we look for in children’s books?
In terms of design…
We love vibrant books! Books with bright colours and repetitive or geometric designs. We love designs that are simple, but that spark children’s imagination; where visualisation is easy for those little eyes. We also love sensory books, with different textures, sounds or flaps.
In relation to a book’s physical design, we try to ensure that it’s age appropriate. So, for example, if it’s for a baby, we look for softer materials or cloth books, but if it’s for a toddler, we prefer a board book that they can hold and turn the pages easily.
In terms of the story…
In bambolango we look for books that convey their message in a fun and intriguing way, which is not as easy as it sounds! Children’s books are faced with the challenge of presenting their content in a concise and simple yet attention grabbing manner. Ideally, they should work as springboards for conversation and interaction, where readers and listeners feel stimulated to continue building on the ideas in the book.
Additionally, we enjoy texts that rhyme or play on words. These techniques help maintain little ones’ attention and encourages older children to have fun with words and sounds. Furthermore, kids love repetition, and it’s actually great for acquiring and processing language, and you know you’re going to have to read the same book over and over again, so all the better if it’s actually fun!
Finally, we prefer books that have some sort of educational value, however subtle, and that represent all our different real life scenarios. By which we mean books that include concepts relating to different languages, cultures, customs, traditions… We believe that all children should be able to identify with the situations and characters they read about in their books and therefore, our current lifestyles and the real world should be reflected on the pages of their books.
What can you do to celebrate World Book Day?
There are many ways you can mark this special day and if you search social media you will find endless suggestions. Our proposal is simple:
- Choose a topic for the day: colours, shapes, foods, seasons… For example: colours.
- Choose and read a book or a number of books related to your chosen topic.
- Play a game linked to the topic you chose. For example: play dressing up with red coloured outfits, play with blue plasticine, play bingo with colours…
- Do an arts and crafts activity related to your topic of choice. For example: make a colourful bookmark. (And if you sign up for our newsletter before 5th March, we will send you a printable pdf bookmark to colour in at home…)
However you decide to celebrate, we would love to see what you did! So, don’t be shy and send us your pictures!
How will we celebrate World Book Day in bambolango?
Well… here’s our surprise… we will celebrate by telling you:
Our bilingual books are ready and waiting to be snatched up!!!
Our collection of books offers you the opportunity to read about colours, numbers and shapes thanks to their simple texts in both Spanish and English. They aim to encourage interaction and help you increase your little one’s exposure to the language to be acquired.
But there’s more! Our books are not just bilingual, but also innovative, attention grabbing and fun! We have designed them so that even the littlest of eyes can visualise the illustrations. We have created them, in line with our previous comments, so that they act as springboards for conversation and interaction, and so that you feel motivated to build on the ideas presented. And as though this was not enough, our books also include illustrations of typical customs, locations, people, traditions and much more from around the UK and Spain.
Would you like to purchase all or one of our bilingual books? We are still working on our online shop, but for now, you can buy directly via email or telephone: shop@bambolango.com, +34 607 34 40 80.
For more information on World Book Day:
www.worldbookday.com
Facebook @worldbookdayuk
Twitter @WorldBookDayUK
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