The Citywide Reading Campaign for Children will be kicking off for 2020 this spring, where children in Dublin are encouraged to read a selected book. This year’s selection is Boot by Shane Hegarty, illustrated by Ben Mantle. It is a story that follows the adventure of a robot who wakes up in a rubbish tip and, with only two-and-a-half memories and a gang of new robot friends, sets off to find its owner.
The goal of this initiative, as said by Mairead Owens, Dublin City Librarian, is “… to get children reading for pleasure.” Copies of the book are available in all Dublin City Libraries as well as in all good bookshops. There is also a downloadable Reading Guide for teachers and parents to utilise.
Author Shane Hegarty— a Dublin local— says that while growing up, “my local libraries fed my imagination from a very early age, sending me on adventures in space and time every time I walked through their doors. As a writer I see the magic readers still find in libraries. I’m really looking forward to inventing exotic robots, telling tall tales and sharing the adventure with today’s young Dubliners.”
Find out more about the campaign here.
