World Book Day helps us to celebrate that books are for everyone and is a perfect opportunity to remind children of the importance of reading. Books don’t have to cost anything, and they can be shared or read independently. For children, books are so much more than words on paper as they can teach, entertain, empathise, inform, help you to escape, transport you to another realm and can be a friend too.
Reading encourages creativity allowing children to imagine worlds outside of their reality and helps critical and analytical thinking, boosts children’s confidence, improves focus and concentration, and helps to stimulate and develop the brain.
As well as profoundly developing language skills they also help children to access their sense of self, when we are engaged in a book we become emotionally invested in the characters and their journey.
As JK Rowling said: ‘if you don’t like to read, you haven’t found the right book’.
The Portland House staff and children had a magical time immersing into story land and bringing favourite stories and characters to life, see if you can you spot some familiar stories and characters in the photos.
