This autumn, teachers are invited to enter their classes into the hugely popular award scheme and to compete for the chance to become ‘young judges’. The winning ‘young judges’, who help choose the best children’s books of 2007, will attend the award ceremony in London to see some of the best-loved children’s authors in the UK receive their prizes.
Full entry details and teachers’ notes are available from Booktrust, the reading charity which administers the prize and on the Nestlé Children’s Book Prize website: www.nestlechildrensbookprize. co.uk
The classroom activities involved in the Nestlé Children’s Book Prize have been designed with the guidance of educational experts to encourage children to enjoy reading and respond to books in imaginative ways.
The competition format involves two rounds, each with activities that can be incorporated into classroom planning. The activities are adapted for different age groups to encourage the whole class to respond creatively to stories.
Last year’s winning school in the six to eight year old category was Holland Park Primary School in Clacton, Essex. Class teacher Matt Wistowsky commented: “It really gave their reading a boost; some children read more in those few weeks than they do in a whole year.”
