York's youngsters will be going wild this month, with the start of the Big Wild Read.

The scheme, a joint initiative between City of York Council's Libraries team and the Reading Agency, will be officially launched at the party in the park at Rowntree Park on Sunday, 15 July.

The Big Wild Read Summer Reading Challenge - a national initiative to encourage children to read, and enjoy reading, during the summer holidays - will also teach the youngsters about how they can help protect the environment.

The libraries team will be on hand in Rowntree Park between 12noon and 4.00pm to enrol children onto the initiative, as well as getting them involved in a host of other activities, such as storytelling and a treasure hunt across the park.
 
Youngsters who sign up to the initiative will receive information about a host of exciting books to read and will get the chance to take part in a host of 'wild' events at libraries across the city. The youngsters will each be given a Big Wild Read folder, with special scratch and sniff stickers for each book they read.

Holiday events include a chance to meet exotic animals, thanks to Zoolab, t-shirt printing, a rainforest road show, big wild story telling and crafts and a recycling road show.

The youngsters will also be able to test their writing skills as part of a competition to find the best Big Wild Story.

Frances Postlethwaite, schools liaison and children's librarian, said: " The Big Wild Read Summer Challenge inspires children to read for fun, broaden their horizons and talk about books with their friends. They enjoy the freedom to choose whatever they want to read from the wealth of books that libraries have to offer, and the challenge element of the scheme gives them an incentive to read, and a sense of achievement on finishing.

"National research shows that children's literacy standards can fall dramatically over the six week summer holiday period and we hope that initiatives like the challenge will encourage young people to read all year round."

The names of those who sign up to the reading challenge at Rowntree Park will be put into a draw with prizes including a bike and free family activity sessions.

York's libraries will support the initiative by donating one daffodil bulb per child who takes part in the scheme. The bulbs will then be planted on the bar walls, supporting the local environment.