James Morris MP promotes reading for pleasure for Bookstart 20

Bookstart Regional Manager, Paula Sutton, on an Treasure pack gifting event in Dudley

On Friday 18 May, James Morris, MP for Halesowen and Rowley Regis, joined Dudley Bookstart Coordinator Lesley Williamson and I at the Hasbury C of E Primary School, Halesowen.

Mr Morris came to read stories to the early years children and their parents and to promote the importance and pleasure of early reading. He started off with Shark in the Park by Nick Sharratt – a book that encourages audience participation – and it was wonderful to hear the children join in with 'there’s a shark in the park!' and for them to ask for it to be read again at the end.

The school invited parents to join their children for the morning session where they were to receive their free Bookstart Treasure Packs:

After we all sang a few of the children’s favourite rhymes, Lesley showed the children the wonderful 'treasure' that they were going to be taking home with them. One of the books in their Treasure Packs was The Smartest Giant by Julia Donaldson and the children were delighted when Mr Morris offered to read that too - they sat enthralled as the story developed. He is a natural storyteller and has obviously had lots of practice reading to his own children.