World Book Day: Jersey Library joins global campaign against illiteracy

Jersey Library has joined a campaign to get more youngsters reading and to fight illiteracy around the world.

Children in the island are being invited to join organisations from across the globe in the aim of reading for a collective total of 200 million minutes.

The campaign is being run by not-for-profit group Achievement for All which works with schools to improve the prospects of children who might be considered at risk of lower attainment in literacy skills.

Jersey's Chief Librarian says literacy "opens doors to opportunity and really changes people's quality of life". He says it is "fundamental" to help people's development.

The campaign has launched on World Book Day (Thursday 4 March) and will run until Friday 2 April.

Children can log the minutes they have spent reading both in class and when they are at home, with the promise of prizes for schools and groups who achieve the highest average number of reading minutes.

Individual children who hit key targets while taking part in the challenge will also receive a certificate.

Jersey's government also has a number of resources available online through its Learning At Home website, which launched during the island's first lockdown in April 2020.

Jersey Library is open 9:30am to 9pm on Mondays, 9am until 9pm Tuesday to Thursday and 9am to 5:30pm Friday and Saturday. It is closed on Sundays.

Hundreds of children across the Channel Islands will be taking part in activities and dressing up as their favourite character to celebrate their love of reading as part of World Book Day.

The UNESCO backed event is celebrated in 100 countries around the world.

If your child is taking part, they could be featured in our online gallery! Simply send a photograph of them wearing their costume along with their name, where in the Channel Islands they are from, who they are dressed as and their favourite book.