MP Gordon Henderson fulfils his Bookstart 20 pledge

Through numerous school visits, the MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey in Kent has already completed his Bookstart 20 pledge

Nearly 6 months ago, local MP Gordon Henderson set himself the task of sharing 20 books as part of his pledge to support the Bookstart 20 campaign.

Launching off the starting blocks in February at St Clements School in Eastchurch, Mr Henderson said:

'Reading is one of the most enjoyable life experiences. I remember getting into trouble as a boy when I was caught reading by torchlight after bedtime. If I can encourage a handful of children to share my passion for books, then it'll be a worthy exercise.'

Since then, Mr Henderson has visited 19 other schools - completing his pledge to share 20 books (many times over, in our estimation, if you multiply the number of visits with the number of children at each reading). In National Bookstart Week alone, Mr Henderson paid visits to Milton Court Primary School, Queenborough Primary School and St Georges Primary School.

On his visits, Mr Henderson read from a range of books including his own book - The Litter Angel, which he is hoping to have published next year.

Mr Henderson hopes that by sharing his own passion for books, he'll be able to pass on the 'reading bug'. He enthused:

'It was such a great experience to share my love of reading and writing with so many youngsters. I've never had such attentive audiences! I hope I've inspired at least some of them to explore the world of literature.'

Have you made the pledge?

Join Gordon Henderson, Jamie Oliver, Julia Donaldson and all of the other thousands of Bookstart supporters in their quest to share 20 books in 2012:

Pledge for Bookstart