Quality time at the library proves golden

One of the youngest users of Balderstone Library has just received his Bookstart Bear Club Gold Certificate for attending the regular children’s sessions and reading.

Mati visits the library most days with his mum Angelika, attending the Bookstart Bear Club sessions and Storytime. Mati’s first language is Polish and attending the sessions has helped him and Angelika to improve their English, listening to stories and having fun singing songs and rhymes. The sessions have also helped them to meet new friends and find out about other activities in the area.

When Mati received his gold certificate his grandma was visiting from Poland. She was really proud to see him receive it and took lots of photographs.

Bookstart Bear Club sessions are free and available to any parent or carer with children under 5, you don’t need to be a member of the library. The sessions all include rhymes and storytelling. Led by Early Years library worker Irene Peachey they aim to teach little ones the importance of early language skills, social interaction and concentration.

When a child joins the Bookstart Bear Club they receive their own Bookstart Bear Club passport. Each time they visit the library they receive a stamp in their passport. For every six stamps they receive a certificate – there are 10 in total to collect with the tenth being the gold.