A new Pokémon Go-inspired online game wants children to hunt books instead

An online game inspired by Pokémon Go has been developed by a primary school headteacher - but instead of cartoon monsters, it encourages children and adults alike to go outside and hunt real-life books.

Tens of thousands of players have already signed up to the 'Chasseurs de Livres' - or 'Book Hunters' - Facebook group, created by Belgian head Aveline Grégoire.

On the wall, players share pictures of where they have hidden their contribution, along with clues - and others have to try to track it down.

Once someone has finished reading it, they "release" the book back into the wild, with more clues.

She said she had come up with the idea while sorting through her own substantial collection.

The Pokémon Go app took the world by storm when it was first released, being one of the first successful augmented reality games.

It uses a phone's GPS to track the player, and places the creatures in front of them using the camera - forcing the player to move around in the real world to find more Pokémon.

Inspired by the concept, Belgian head Ms Grégoire created the Facebook group - and within just a few weeks, more than 40,000 people have already joined.

So far, people have been donating books ranging from toddler-friendly reads to Stephen King horror stories, leaving them around towns and countryside across Belgium, often wrapped in plastic to keep them dry.

Many have left comments praising the concept, saying their children had become much more interested in reading since starting to play.

Carole Bourguignat said the idea was "healthy and beautiful", while mother Céline Beuvens described her daughter's delight when they spotted another young girl running to find the books they had not long hidden.

Leaving a note with his book, Pascale Peeters Nanou wrote:

Ms Grégoire said she is now considering taking the game a step further, and creating an app.