Friday, March 04, 2011

Morpurgo and Wilson support new Guardian kids site

The Bookseller - 03.03.11 - Caroline Horn

Former children’s laureate Michael Morpurgo and Tracy Beaker author Jacqueline Wilson have spoken out in support of the Guardian’s new book website for children, which launches today [3rd March] on World Book Day.

The site, guardian.co.uk/childrensbooks, will be curated by young people from all over the world, with 100 children already signed up. Content will include children’s reviews, video and text interviews with authors and a book club. Each child will have their own personalised page.

It will be divided into three reading zones aimed at children aged seven and under; eight to 12; and 13-plus. The site will encourage child-to-child sharing. Wilson said: “Getting children to read from a young age and showing them that it is fun is incredibly important,” while Morpurgo, who was interviewed for the site this week, described the initiative as “wonderful”.

Guardian books editor, Claire Armitstead, explained: “When you think of the resource that older friends or siblings represent, it seems astonishing that child-to-child reading gets so little attention...In a culture with many different models of what family means, the resource of other children becomes even more valuable. It's with this in mind that the Guardian is launching a children-only website.”

Morpurgo said: “This new Guardian site will open up the world of books to children. It is wonderful to see a newspaper offering something for children and taking children’s books seriously. Sharing and reading stories from the earliest age can transform a child’s life.”

Wilson added: “Getting children to read from a young age and showing them that it is fun is incredibly important. There are so many books out there and the Guardian is providing children of all ages with the opportunity to discover new ones. Once a child finds a book they love they become hooked for life.”

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