Bookstart is a national free book-giving scheme designed to encourage a love of books from a very early age. Every child is entitled to a free Bookstart pack at 0 to 12 months and 3 to 4 years containing an age-appropriate book and other supporting materials. This has great benefits for all children, especially when they begin to learn to read at school.
Bookstart Bear Club is a club for all babies, toddlers and pre-school children and their parents, running in all Barking and Dagenham libraries. Membership is free and children who join are given a membership pack with their own special passport.
Every time they return a book they’ve borrowed from the library, they get a stamp in their passport. Once they have collected six stamps they are given a certificate. There are ten certificates to collect, all featuring the Bookstart Bear mascot.
Bookstart Bear Club encourages a love of books from an early age and prepares children for learning to read at school. It also encourages them to use the library, as the Bookstart Bear Club is open only to library members.
If your child already uses the library, just ask the staff if they can sign up to the Bookstart Bear Club. If your child is not a library member, they can join the library and the Bookstart Bear Club at the same time.