Read Hour in the UK
United Kingdom is taking part in Read Hour. We asked Emily Souders from Riot Communications what is going on during Read Hour in their country.
Who is organising Read Hour and why do you want to take part in this community?
Emily Souders at Riot Communications organises Read Hour on behalf of Moomin Characters in the UK. We undertake this as part of Moomin Characters’ long-term commitment to literacy, #MoominABC.
Moomin Characters believes that: “Being able to express yourself is one of the most important things in the world: it allows you to communicate your hopes and dreams, relate to others, engage with the big issues of our times, and create change. To express yourself, you first need to learn to read and write. Developing a love of words at a young age is proven to bring other benefits, too, like increased empathy and a greater understanding of different cultures and ways of life. Essentially, reading and writing broaden a young person’s horizon.”
How are you engaging your local audience to Read Hour?
This year we have partnered with book box company, Love My Read to create a Read Hour x Moomin book box, which will be available for purchase in August.
Our partners, World Book Day, BookTrust and the Finnish Embassy will be running Read Hour competitions over the summer to raise awareness of Read Hour.
We are also running a series of events, in person and online, with independent bookshops and the Finnish Embassy:
8th September at 11am – Moomin Storytime at Children’s Bookshop, London
8th September at 4pm – Moomin Storytime at Bag of Books, Lewes
9th September at 1:30pm – Rob Biddulph for Read Hour at Muswell Hill Festival (sold out)
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Author Philip Ardagh is sharing some Moomin facts and reading a Moomin story.
Who are the partners in your country making Read Hour spread?
We have over 32 partners in the UK including Moomin publishers, Macmillan Childrens, Puffin and Sort Of Books as well as literacy organisations such as World Book Day, Love Reading and BookTrust.
What is your favourite book from childrens’ and young adults’ literature?
My favourite books as a child were the Topsy & Tim series (and of course, the Moomin books!) and as a teenager, I was bitten by the Twilight bug!
Written by Emily Souders at Riot Communications.
